As far as I’m
concerned,
Bitcoin has no
intrinsic value
and should be
worth nothing.

Don’t Be Afraid of Huawei and
ZTE

MAX EDDY
The Shifting State of Android
Security

JOHN C. DVORAK
Last Word

TIPS & HOW TOS
TWO-FACTOR
AUTHENTICATION:
WHO HAS IT AND
HOW TO SET IT UP
HOW TO USE APPLE
PAY CASH
HOW TO BUILD A PC
IN 2018: CHOOSING
THE RIGHT
COMPONENTS

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FIRST WORD
DAN COSTA

I
Our
Quantiﬁed
Selves

’ve been reading Victoria Song’s wearables
reviews since she took over the beat last year.
But it wasn’t until she wrote this month’s cover
story that I appreciated the toll that tracking
trackers could take on a human being. In her
story, she shares the enthusiasms and
disappointments of living a perpetually monitored
life, where every trip to the watercool becomes a
VXEMHFWRITXDQWL¿FDWLRQDQGDQDO\VLV7KDWNLQGRI
mindfulness leaves a mark, and not just on your
wrists. Wearables changed her life in some
surprising ways, and there are some vital lessons
in there for the rest of us.
First, the wearables revolution is moving a lot
slower than we thought it would. Countless
startups have folded, and even big players like
Fitbit and Apple are struggling to make their
products a daily habit. Battery life remains a real
issue; and once someone takes off the device and
misses a day, the incentives to put it back on start
to fade. Who cares about steps, anyway? I’ve
ERXJKW¿YHGLIIHUHQWYHUVLRQVRIWKH)LWELW²WKUHH
of them were lost, and two sit in a dresser drawer,
quite powerless.
At the same time, the power and impact of the
data collected by wearables are going to be much
greater than we imagined. Helping consumers lose
weight and encouraging the deskbound to stand
up once an hour is nice, but data can do so much
more than that.

@dancosta

During the past year, 14,000 Apple Watch users
have allowed a free app called Cardiogram to
DFFHVVWKHLUGDWD7KHFRPSDQ\QRZFODLPVLWV
algorithms can detect diabetes with 85 percent
accuracy. Furthermore, the company claims it can
detect arrhythmia with 97 percent accuracy,
hypertension with 82 percent accuracy, and sleep
DSQHDZLWKSHUFHQWDFFXUDF\7KLVLVD
remarkable step forward.
7KHULSSOHVDUHDOUHDG\VSUHDGLQJWKURXJKWKH
KHDOWKFDUHLQGXVWU\7KHHFRQRPLFLPSDFWLVHDV\
to see. More than 100 million US adults are
GLDEHWLFRUSUHGLDEHWLF7UHDWLQJWKHPFRVWVPRUH
than $266 billion a year.
And it raises an important question: Where does
all of this data go?
%HDULQPLQGWKDWWRGD\¶V¿WQHVVWUDFNHUVDUHQRW
PHGLFDOGHYLFHVWKH\¶UHMXVWJDGJHWV7KDWPHDQV
they aren’t regulated by the FDA, and perhaps
more important, it means that HIPAA (the Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of
1996, which provides data privacy and security
provisions for safeguarding medical information)
doesn’t cover the data they collect. So the only
thing keeping your Fitbit, Apple Watch, or thirdparty app from sharing your personal data is the
company’s privacy policy. Have you read one of
those lately? Neither have I.
9LFWRULD¶VVWRU\LV¿OOHGZLWKSHUVRQDOGHWDLOVVKH
wanted to share with readers, but there’s another
UHFRUGRIDOOKHUZHDUDEOHVWHVWLQJ²DYLUWXDOORJRI
steps, heart rates, and sleep patterns, as well as
habits, medical conditions, and risk factors that, at

The power and
impact of the
data collected
by wearables
are going to be
much greater
than we
imagined.

the moment, can legally be shared with anyone.
United Healthcare already offers a plan that offers
XVHUVDGD\LIWKH\KLWDFHUWDLQ¿WQHVVJRDOV
What’s to stop the company from imposing a
penalty on its customers for missing those goals?
And what employer would want to keep employees
ZKRDUHGULYLQJXSLWVLQVXUDQFHFRVWV"7KLVLV
going to be a problem.
None of this will keep me from digging out my
Fitbit Blaze, charging it up, and trying to get back
into my workout routine next week. But as we
focus on the healthy changes wearables can help
us make, we should be aware of potential
unhealthy consequences.

dan_costa@pcmag.com

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READER INPUT
YOUR COMMENTS

“THE REAL REASON VOICE ASSISTANTS

Female
Voice
Assistants
and Tech
Addiction
In our February issue,
a couple of opinion
columns had
commenters delving
into the psychology
behind the tech.

ARE FEMALE (AND WHY IT MATTERS)”
Avoiding terms like she, her, foremothers, and
the like can help remind readers that these are
machines with audio interfaces. It’s hard not to
anthropomorphize them, though. And it is easy to
assume the voices are female given the
characteristics. (I wonder if the lead singers for
bands such as Portugal the Man and Silversun
Pickups have grown weary of being presumed to
be female based on their voices.)
It may not be be an effective way, but avoiding
such pronouns when referring to AI systems may
help to avoid the transfer of bad behavior to
humans that you are cautioning about. Such
systems are always “it,” never she nor he.
—reamon

I don’t know. I think maybe [you’re] reading too
much into it. Before Siri and Alexa, we had two
well-known examples of voice assistants. One was
male, the other female. One actively tried to kill
the users. The other was extremely helpful to
users. You already know I’m talking about HAL
9000 from 2001 A Space Odyssey and Star Trek’s
USS Enterprise computer.
,ZRXOGQRWGLVFRXQWWKHLQÀXHQFHWKHVHKDGRYHU
those who create these assistants nor many who
use them.
—Wesley Thaeron

I think that I am as concerned about
womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s status in our culture as a
man can possibly be. I was surprised
about the negativity in this article
about using female voices for AI. If
UHVHDUFKVKRZVWKDWXVHUVÂżQGD
female voice to be more â&#x20AC;&#x153;helpful,
supportive, trustworthyâ&#x20AC;? than a male
YRLFHKRZGRHVWKDWUHĂ&#x20AC;HFWSRRUO\RQ
women?
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;John A. Johnson

But there could be something else
going on. A long time ago, when the
military put voice warnings of
imminent disasters into their aircraft
(â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pull up, you a-holeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;there is a
mountain straight ahead!â&#x20AC;?), after
much testing they chose a female
voice. The explanation was that it
would be listened to, cut through the
clutter, and its meaning perceived
more quickly than a male voice.
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;John McGaw

I like choices, myselfâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;I am a
woman, and I prefer to hear a manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
voice. Simple! Just give us all
choices, and we will decide what we
want to hear. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make the choice
for me!
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;frances20041

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;TECHNOLOGY IS KILLING ME
(AND PROBABLY YOU, TOO)â&#x20AC;?
Although I embrace technology as
wholeheartedly as most... I also put
the devices away when I get home
from my IT job. Even my friends
know they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t reach me by text
after a certain hour, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the
way it has to be. A long time ago,
when I was still in school, my Cisco
instructor warned me that I would
get tired of technology if I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
place limits on it. He was so right.
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;maverick909

I am retired and stay at home and do
not have a cellular telephone. My
wife does and we drive with it. But
she never uses it. AT&T loves her.
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Gary Masters

?

Ask us a
question

Have a question about a story in
PC Magazine, one of the products
we cover, or how to better use a
tech product you own? Email us at
letters@pcmag.com and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll
respond to your question here.
Questions may be edited slightly
for content and clarity.

WHAT’S NEW NOW
FAST FORWARD

Fast Forward: Lawrence Lessig
on Campaign Corruption and
the Dangers of AI

F

ast Forward is a series of conversations with tech leaders hosted by Dan
Costa, PCMag’s Editor-in-Chief. Lawrence Lessig is a professor of Law
and Leadership at Harvard University, where we recorded the show. In
1999, he wrote Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace. Lessig is the cofounder of
Creative Commons and made a run for president in 2016, which he sadly did
not win. He’s also the creator of the Lessig Method of Presentation.
Dan Costa: We’re going to talk about the law, we’re going to talk about
the internet, we’re going to talk about that messy place where the two
collide. I want to start way back in 1999, when you wrote this book, and
one of the things that you wrote in it is that “the code is the law.” And
you suggested that the internet will evolve into a more regulatable
form. That was 18 years ago. Have we been moving in the right direction
or the wrong direction?

Lawrence Lessig: Well, I think, unfortunately, I was right. I remember when I

wrote the book, there was deep skepticism, because the argument of the book
was the internet gives us lots of freedom right now, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only because of its
architecture. And there will be lots of incentive both in business and in
government, and business working with government, to change it into a much
more regulable space. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in fact whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happened.
Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just business, trying to make it easier to track and supervise what
people do on the web to make it easier to sell them things, or business and
government, where the government has worked with business to build back
doors into software, or make it so that you can report more easily whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been
happening. I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen a pretty strong trend in the direction of
regulatability.
And then some very interesting point of resistance. When Apple said they were
going to encrypt by default, that was a really important step in the other
GLUHFWLRQ%XWVWULNLQJO\UHDOO\WKHÂżUVWE\DPDMRUFRPSDQ\WRUHVLVWWKH
LQFUHDVLQJUHJXODWELOLW\RIWKHQHWDQG,WKLQNWKHIDFWWKDWLWÂśVWKHÂżUVWLVZKDWÂśV
really concerning me.
You also pointed out that there was going to be this trend toward
consolidation. That there were a lot of forces that were going to drive
this. At that point, it was wide open media. Nobody even really thought
of it as a business platform; they thought of it as an open
communications platform. But we have seen incredible consolidation in
this space.

Yes, and it was actually something I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t thinking about at all, but it was so
REYLRXVLQUHWURVSHFW,WÂśVMXVWWKHIDFWWKDWGDWDLVLQÂżQLWHO\PRUHYDOXDEOHWKDQ
even ownership of the platform and certainly ownership of the infrastructure.
Because what data does is leverage all sorts of capability and potential for
control and commerce. And the consolidation weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen is that data induces a
kind of winner-take-all dynamic for these platforms and you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really afford
to be number two, but if you are number one you are really, really incredibly
successful. And I think nobody has a clear sense of how traditional principles of
antitrust should apply in the context of this type of really dominant position
that these companies play. And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s certainly too hard for me. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m glad Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m far
from this debate now.

Do you think thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anything unique about Facebook advertising and
the micro targeting of individual consumers and playing on their fears,
playing on their weaknesses, that platforms, like Facebook and even
Google and Twitter, enable what just hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been there in the past?

Absolutely. I think the AI component to these machines is terrifying. You know,
thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s this great movie... called [Colossus] The Forbin Project... Dr. Forbin has
invented a computer thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smart enough to run the defense of the United
States. And so the president turns over to this computer control of the decision
whether to launch nuclear weapons. Like, what could possibly go wrong?
At this point, it seems like that could be an improvement.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d take Dr. Forbinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s computer over what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gotâ&#x20AC;Ś That dynamic is people
losing control of their technology. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand where itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to go.
$QGWKHUHDUHUHDOO\FDWDVWURSKLFFRQVHTXHQFHVWKDWFDQĂ&#x20AC;RZIURPWKDWDQG
thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what I fear is happening in many different contexts here. When it turned
out Facebook was selling ads to the category â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jew Haters,â&#x20AC;? you know, there was
no Facebook employee who created the category, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jew Hater.â&#x20AC;? This is generated
by recognizing what the people in Facebook wanted in order to sell ads. And so
LWÂśVDSHUIHFWO\HIÂżFLHQWWHFKQRORJ\IRUJLYLQJSHRSOHZKDWWKH\ZDQWEXWWKHIHDU
is that dynamic can produce all sorts of ugliness that we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t actually want.
The data came out. I was on a panel with the CTO of Cambridge Analytica, who
had been the CTO of the RNC, and he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yeah, during the Trump campaign,
we never let these things run on their own because we were afraid of where they
would go.â&#x20AC;? And you begin to get a sense of just how dangerous it is if even the
Trump campaign was afraid of where it might go. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what keeps me up
when I think about this dynamic. Because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not going to turn off the
LQFHQWLYHWREHFRPHDVHIÂżFLHQWDV\RXSRVVLEO\FDQLQGHOLYHULQJSURGXFWWR
people on the commercial side. The danger is that that same dynamic when
shifted to the democracy side, can produce all sorts of ugliness that I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think
we have a good way to think about solving.
See a video of the full interview and many more at pcmag.com/
podcasts/fast-forward.

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WHAT’S NEW NOW
NEWS

YouTube’s Covert
Cryptocurrency-Mining Ads
BY JOEL HRUSKA

S

tealth cryptocurrency mining in one’s browser without permission is one
of our least-favorite trends of the past six months. The idea of end users
generating income for the sites they visit by mining cryptocurrencies—as
opposed to being hit with ads—has some interesting features to recommend it.
But it also raises some concerns and issues about how such funding should be
monitored and controlled so that systems remain responsive—and to ensure
that different sites and browsers won’t slug it out for resources, with users left
in the lurch.

Instead of an informed approach in which end users
consent to such mining, we’ve seen stealth operations
popping up everywhere: They steal CPU cycles from
users, particularly if more than one crypto-mining
program is running simultaneously (read this month’s
IT Watch story, “Protecting Your Business From
Cryptocurrency Malware Attacks,” for more). While
most of these plugins are written to put just a light load
on user’s CPUs, that works only when the miner is
running in a single browser instance, and only when it’s
running on a single site. Our tests in 2017 showed that
using different browsers can defeat this dubious
attempt to sandbox the performance impact. And, of
course, even running one site still drains battery life
more quickly than having the CPU properly idled.
,W¶VOLNHVRPHRQH¿JXUHGRXWKRZWRPRQHWL]HWKHDZIXO
Flash ads everyone used to hate for eating CPU cycles. A
true win-win! And now, it’s even hitting YouTube.
TrendMicro recently released an updated report
showing a sharp rise in ads that were infested with
cryptocurrency-mining software being served by
Google’s DoubleClick service:

It’s like
someone
ﬁgured out how
to monetize the
awful Flash ads
everyone used
to hate for
eating CPU
cycles.

Like other attacks, this one uses a Javascript miner to
mine Monero via Coinhive. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how TrendMicro
describes it: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The advertisement has a JavaScript code
that generates a random number between variables 1
and 101. When it generates a variable above 10, it will
call out coinhive.min.js to mine 80% of the CPU power,
which is what happens nine out of ten times. For the
other 10%, a private web miner will be launched. The
WZRZHEPLQHUVZHUHFRQÂżJXUHGZLWKWKURWWOH
which means the miners will use 80% of the CPUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
resources for mining.â&#x20AC;?
Earlier miners, just a few months ago, were sticking to
PXFKORZHUÂżJXUHVDVSDUWRIDELJWRVWD\KLGGHQ:H
were concerned at the time that this could escalate, and
it looks as if it is. As more illicit services slug it out to
steal this kind of processing time, your CPUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
processing time is going to be a casualty.
If your system is running louder for no obvious reason,
donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid to pop open Task Manager and look for
SURRI&38XWLOL]DWLRQZLOOEHPXFKKLJKHULI\RXÂśYHJRW
a cryptocurrency miner stealing cycles.

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If your system
is running
louder for no
obvious
reason, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
be afraid to
pop open Task
Manager and
look for proof.

WHAT’S NEW NOW
IT WATCH

Protecting Your Business From
Cryptocurrency Malware Attacks
BY WAYNE RASH

C

ryptocurrency may be the most notable success of blockchain
technology, but not everything about it is gold. Miners have found a
new way to make money for themselves while also reducing their costs.
It’s easy: They just have you pay for it.
What’s happening is that hackers install code on a site that you’re likely to visit
for a long time. While you’re there, an infected ad injects cryptocurrencymining software into your computer, where it’ll mine for currency while you’re
trying to do something else.

This practice appeared on YouTube in mid-January and
ZDVÂżUVWUHSRUWHGE\UHVHDUFKHUVDW7UHQG0LFURZKR
said that the DoubleClick ad network was being abused
to deliver currency mining malware. The apparent
reason was that people tend to stay on YouTube for an
extended period, giving the currency mining software
more time to work.
The malware comes from Coinhive, computer code that
allows the mining software to run on other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
computers and use their resources. Reportedly,
currency mining can suck up about 80 percent of a
computerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resources, which leaves enough available
that most people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t notice it during casual use.
THE BUSINESS COST
But your organization will notice, especially if the illicit
cryptocurrency mining starts to spread on your network
or especially on your servers. Even when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re paying
for data center services, that computing power costs you
money; if you lose capacity because unauthorized
software is eating CPU cycles, then you may have to buy
more capacity.

People tend
to stay on
YouTube for
an extended
period, giving
the currency
mining
software more
time to work.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also problematic when your servers or even your
RIÂżFHFRPSXWHUVJHWVRERJJHGGRZQWKDWWKH\FDQÂśW
deliver. Then youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll start have trouble operating key
processes, which means you could lose business. While
that 80 percent load might not be noticed on a
consumer computer, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re probably not buying more
computing power than you need for business use, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
far more likely to be an issue. For example, during peak
periods when your servers would normally run close to
Ă&#x20AC;DWRXWWKH\ÂśOOVXGGHQO\MXVWEHVRUWRIĂ&#x20AC;DW
Complicating the issue is that many of the hackers who
use Coinhive distribute it from other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s servers as
well. So if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not protecting your public-facing
servers, then a hacker could install it on your website.
You could even inadvertently pass it along to your
customers, who probably would not be thrilled to know
they got it from you.
The most common way this malware makes it into
servers is through vulnerabilities in Apache Struts or
DotNetNuke, according to the folks at Trend Microâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
TrendLabs. In case this sounds familiar, it was a Struts
vulnerability that led to the breach at Equifax.
(VVHQWLDOO\DKDFNHUÂżQGVDQXQSDWFKHGZHEVLWHDQG
installs the malware, which then transfers it to visitors.

During peak
periods when
your servers
would
normally run
close to ďŹ&#x201A;atout, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll
suddenly just
be sort of ďŹ&#x201A;at.

PROTECT YOUR SYSTEMS
)RUWXQDWHO\\RXFDQWDNHDFWLRQ7KHÂ¿UVWWKLQJWRGRLVWRSDWFK\RXUV\VWHPV
The vulnerabilities in Struts and DotNetNuke have both been patched, but a lot
of unpatched systems remain.
,QDGGLWLRQFRQÂ¿UPWKDW\RXUVHUYHUVDQGRIÂ¿FHFRPSXWHUVKDYHEHHQSDWFKHG
This may be more complicated than usual, with all the other patches related to
WKH,QWHOYXOQHUDELOLWLHVÃ&#x20AC;\LQJDURXQG1RERG\Â¶VH[SORLWLQJWKRVH,QWHO
SUREOHPVEXWWKH\DUHXVLQJHYHU\H[SORLWWKH\Â¿QGWRPDNHPRQH\ZLWK
cryptocurrency mining.
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth noting that vulnerabilities that are being exploited for currency
mining affect both Linux and Windows machines. So youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to patch all
your servers, regardless of the operating system (OS).
Also make sure you have protection installed on all internet-connected
endpoints, with updated anti-malware in place to keep the currency miners out.
The way Trend Micro found the YouTube infestation was through a huge spike
in blocking activity on that service and subsequent complaints. Trend Micro
and other services, such as Malwarebytes, provide enterprise versions of their
software for purposes such as this.

TRAIN YOUR STAFF
First, they need to know that if they get blocked from a
website by your anti-malware package, then the
solution is not to turn off the protection and hit the site
anyway—it’s to tell the security staff what they found.
Staff should also pay attention to unusual behavior on
the computers they use, especially sudden bad
performance. Cryptocurrency mining really loads down
the CPU on a computer, and a sudden slowdown may
EHWKH¿UVWVLJQ
Finally, pay attention to your monitoring software.
Typically, one of the parameters that these packages
monitor is CPU load. So if yours spikes unexpectedly,
currency mining might be the reason. Also bear in mind
that those crypto-coins have to be uploaded somehow.
If the computers on your network are mining, then it’s
your network that will be delivering.
Fortunately, crypto-jackers (as the illicit miners are
called) rarely let their software deliver other malware
such as ransomware. The reason? They want to use
your computer as long as they can. After all, you’re their
cash cow, and they want to keep the milk coming.

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Staff should
also pay
attention to
unusual
behavior on the
computers they
use, especially
sudden bad
performance.

WHAT’S NEW NOW
TOP GEAR

What We Love Most
This Month

Photo courtesy of The Verge

BY ANGELA MOSCARITOLO, CAROL MANGIS

INTEL VAUNT SMART GLASSES
Smart eyeglasses have some handy use cases, but existing models are far from aesthetically
pleasing. Intel is looking to bring some style to the world of smart specs. Although the Vaunt
glasses look and feel ordinary (allowing wearers to skirt that Glasshole problem), they can
project information such as directions and message notiﬁcations from your iOS or Android
smartphone into your ﬁeld of vision. The brains of the glasses live in the stems on the sides.
Intel plans to launch an “early access program” for developers later this year.—AM
www.theverge.com

PETCUBE BITES
Watching your pets at home via
webcam? That’s nothing new—unless
the camera can also reward them with
treats. Petcube Bites is a 1080p
streaming-video camera with a treat
dispenser that you can control
remotely, even specifying the distance
that the treats are ﬂung. Other
features include night vision, sound
and motion alerts, and two-way
audio.—CM
$179.00; www.petcube.com

OSMOTEX HYDRO_BOT
Clothing fabric that wicks sweat away
from the skin is a boon; no one enjoys that
sticky, clammy feeling. Osmotex AG is
taking wicking fabric from passive to
active. Its Hydro_Bot technology lets
textiles transfer moisture and vapor from
the inside to the outside via batterypowered electroosmosis. It was created for
use in extreme conditions such as
mountain-climbing and challenging work
environments, and the company claims the
tech can match people’s sweat rates in
various climatic conditions and at different
activity levels. Osmotex partner, KJUS, is
expected to come out with Hydro_Bot
jackets in time for ski season next winter.
—CM
www. hydrobot.com

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Chandra Steel

COMMENTARY

Bitcoin Is the New
Beanie Babies

I

n the 90s, you had to take your entertainment
where you could get it. Sometimes that place
was the home shopping channel in the middle
of the night. My brother and I would tune in to a
fuzzy broadcast to watch a man in a cheap print
shirt, who a short time ago had been selling
knives, stand in front of a colossal rainbow
mound of stuffed animals.
+HÂśGSLFNXSWKUHHRUIRXULQDÂżVWVKDNHWKHPDW
the television, andâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;in a coked-up sales pitch that
left his mustache covered in spittleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;yell things
like, â&#x20AC;&#x153;You could pay for your kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; college tuition
with these!â&#x20AC;?
That man was Don West, and he was selling
Beanie Babies for hundreds of dollars. Of course,
we now know that the former wrestling hype-man
ZDVQRWRIIHULQJWKHPRVWVROLGÂżQDQFLDODGYLFH
Humphrey the Camel, once worth $2,000, can
now be had for $15.99 on eBay. (Call now while
supplies last!)
The current cryptocurrency frenzy is a modernday corollary of Beanie Baby madness. Headlines
about Bitcoin millionaires such as 19-year-old
Erik Finman are reminiscent of stories about
people like 9-year-old Cameron Johnson, who in
1994 was making $50,000 a year reselling
Beanie Babies.

PCMag Senior
Features Editor
Chandra Steele got
her tech journalism
start at CMP/United
Business Media. She
also writes ďŹ ction
and has been
published in
McSweeneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Internet Tendency.

Chandra Steel

Finman told Business Insider: “If you do not
become a [Bitcoin] millionaire in the next 10
years, then it’s your own fault.” This surely makes
some long for a heavy dose of karmic
schadenfreude, but many have cryptocurrency
)202DQGDUHPDNLQJULVN\¿QDQFLDOPRYHV
Students thinking about betting their college
IXQGVRQ%LWFRLQVKRXOGZDWFK¿OPPDNHU&KULV
Robinson’s short documentary about his father’s
obsession with Beanie Babies. He wanted to use
his earnings to put Chris and his younger brother
through school but ended up losing $100,000.
Every pyramid scheme and lottery drawing
features at least one person who makes it rich,
but very rarely is that person you.
Early Bitcoin investor and millionaire Grant
Sabatier, who runs Millenial Money, cautions
against the high stakes of Bitcoin: It’s gambling,
not investing, he says. That’s rare; in the
cryptocurrency world, you’re more likely to
encounter people like James Altucher. A selfdescribed “crypto genius,” Altucher is one of the
many people peddling cryptocurrency advice and
schemes as though they were royal-blue Peanut
the Elephants. While he makes his money from
books, newsletters, and a podcast, he also pushes
people into far less secure investments.
It’s important to separate cryptocurrencies and
their underlying blockchain technology from
disingenuous and overblown marketing. The
value of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is
falling, but that volatility is one of the factors that
can make this sort of marketing so enticing. Of
course there will be those who say now is the time
to go all-in. But that’s the same impulse that

@chansteele

Chandra Steel

fueled the purchase of armloads of soft stuffed
toys in the 90s. Feverish economic groupthink
can overtake good sense.
One of the latest ways to peddle cryptocurrency is
through an initial coin offering (ICO), which is
much like an IPO but without any regulatory
oversight (for now). A startup raises funds by
accepting Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies to get
itself off the ground, in rapid sales that can last
hours or even minutes. Facebook is not known for
taking swift action against advertisers or others
on its site, but there have been so many ICO
scams that the social network’s cryptocurrency ad
ban was a no-brainer.
Beanie Babies might be gone, but their spirit lives
on in Bitcoin. Where there once was Don West on
a UHF channel, there’s now boxer Floyd “Money”
Mayweather on Instagram. When you look at
those stacks and stacks of cash Floyd is about to
invest in an ICO for Stox.com, know that it’s
throwing good money after bad.

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Altucher
is one of
the people
peddling
cryptocurrency
schemes as
though they
were royal-blue
Peanut the
Elephants.

Sascha Sega

COMMENTARY

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Be Afraid of
Huawei and ZTE

D

onâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t throw out your ZTE phone. US
intelligence chiefs paint a dark picture of
ZTE and Huawei, which they claim are
Chinese spying operations, but we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seen a
shred of actual evidence that either companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
phones are dangerous to Americans in any way.
The bigwigsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; most recent admonition is part of a
long campaign against ZTE and Huawei, started
by Congress in 2012. At that time, Huawei pretty
much backed out of the US market, but ZTE
doubled down, started sponsoring the Houston
Rockets, and became the number-four
smartphone seller in the US.
The change we need to talk about is that the
RIÂżFLDOVKDYHVZLWFKHGIURPEORFNLQJ+XDZHL
network equipment to disparaging Huawei and
ZTE handsets. Both companies have been
essentially banned from our network equipment
PDUNHWIRUÂżYH\HDUVQRZDQGQR86ZLUHOHVV
provider uses their products.
Network equipment is, in general, where spying
happens. You can dragnet a lot of
communications at once, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jealously guarded by
wireless carriers, and independent researchers
often donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have access to it. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even have
to have special backdoors in the network

Sascha Segan is the
lead mobile analyst
for PC Magazine. His
commentary has
also appeared on Fox
News, CNBC, CNN, and
various radio stations
and newspapers
around the world.

Sascha Sega

HTXLSPHQWWRVS\7KH66QHWZRUNĂ&#x20AC;DZLVZLGHO\
thought to be used by intelligence agencies
DURXQGWKHZRUOGWRVS\RQFHOOXODUWUDIÂżF
When the UK and Australia have criticized and
blocked Huawei in the past, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always been
about network equipment. Australia banned
Huawei network equipment from its national
broadband network and then issued both Huawei
and ZTE phones to government staff members,
demonstrating the huge difference between how
network equipment and phones are seen.
Note that US intelligence chiefs also donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say
WKHUHÂśVDVSHFLÂżFWKUHDW5DWKHUWKH\MXVWGRQÂśW
like these companies, because China. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no
actual evidence. Just... China.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re deeply concerned about the risks of
allowing any company or entity that is beholden
to foreign governments that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t share our
values to gain positions of power inside our
telecommunications networks,â&#x20AC;? FBI Director
&KULV:UD\WHVWLÂżHGDVTXRWHGE\&1%&
That is not â&#x20AC;&#x153;these phones are an actual threat.â&#x20AC;?
That is â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like these companies.â&#x20AC;?
Huawei and ZTE, obviously, say that they are not
security threats, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re committed to openness
and transparency, and whatever.
HANDSETS ARE DIFFERENT
Network equipment is used by a relatively small
number of large corporations, which guard their
secrets tightly. It isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t widely, aggressively, and
publicly tested by a large security researcher
community.

@saschasegan

Sascha Sega

But handsets are tested by everyone. As soon as a new phone comes out,
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;'$GHYHORSHUVVWDUWGLVDVVHPEOLQJWKHÂ¿UPZDUHL)L[LWDQGRWKHU
WHDUGRZQÂ¿UPVWDNHHOHFWURQPLFURVFRSHVWRWKHVHWKLQJV
This crowdsourced research has turned up problems in handsets,
including Chinese handsets, again and again. Both OnePlus and Blu
KDYHEHHQFDXJKWGHOLYHULQJVHFXULW\Ã&#x20AC;DZVWRWKHLUFXVWRPHUV7KH\ZHUH
both roundly roasted for their errors, and changed their ways.
Nobody has ever found this supposed spy software inside Huawei and
=7(KDQGVHWV7KHSHRSOHDVVHUWLQJWKDWLWPD\H[LVWKDYHQHYHU
GHVFULEHGLWDQGQHYHULGHQWLÂ¿HGVSHFLÂ¿FPRGHOVWKDWLQFOXGHLW7KH86
also stands alone in essentially blocking Huaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s phones, rather than
network equipment.
7REHOLHYHWKLVVRIWZDUHH[LVWV\RXÂ¶GKDYHWREHOLHYHWKDW+XDZHLDQG
ZTE are so far beyond the capabilities of any other manufacturer that
theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re able to hide this tech when others cannot. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d also have to
EHOLHYHWKDWZHÂ¶YHIRXQGDQH[SORLWWKDW&6,60,DQGWKH0RVVDGKDYH
all missed, and that we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t shared it with any of our allies.
If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re worried about being surveilled, I have bad news for you: You
are being surveilled. Your wireless carrier has mountains of data on you,
and will turn it over to the government at the drop of a warrant. Google
DQG)DFHERRNKDYHWHUULI\LQJO\DFFXUDWHSURÂ¿OHVRIZKDW\RXGRZKDW
you think, and where you are. All those organizations have reason to be
interested in you. They want to sell you ads or make sure you obey their
laws and rules.
Even if Huawei and ZTE were spy operations, and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think they are,
they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have urgent enough motivation to risk massive, global shame
and business collapse by installing spyware on tens of millions of phones
willy-nilly. The Chinese government has no motivation to be spying on
\RXVSHFLÂ¿FDOO\8QOLNHWKH$XVWUDOLDQGHIHQVHVWDIIZKRXVH=7(
phones, you do not have any information that any foreign government
actually wants.

Sascha Sega

I know it may hurt to know youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not important. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But no!â&#x20AC;? you cry. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I
have critical trade secret information the Chinese must want to steal!â&#x20AC;?
You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care enough to steal it. Unless you actually work
for the government or military, in which case you should be using a
product thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the DoD recommended list, you are not being caught
in any sort of Communist dragnet. Paranoia will destroy ya.
OUR VERDICT: WE ARENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T BOTHERED
Years of Huawei and ZTE phones being in global markets, being
H[SORUHGH[DPLQHGGRZQORDGHGGLVDVVHPEOHGUHFRPSLOHGDQGKDFNHG
XSRQKDYHUHYHDOHGQRPRUHFULWLFDOVHFXULW\Ă&#x20AC;DZVWKDQLQDQ\RWKHU
Android vendor, and they havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t shown that the handsets are spying
for the Chinese government.
7KHLQWHOOLJHQFHRIÂżFLDOVGLVSDUDJLQJWKHVHFRPSDQLHVKDYHDOVRJLYHQQR
evidence and been careful not to state that the handsets themselves are a
clear and present threatâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;just that they have an animus against these
companies.
Without any actual evidence of wrongdoing, we have no problem
recommending Huawei and ZTE phones to buyers in the US, and you
shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any concerns buying them.
sascha_segan@pcmag.com

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Max Edd

COMMENTARY

The Shifting State of
Android Security

I

n a recent blog post, Google outlined some
Play Store security stats, an unusual move for
the company that signals a larger shift within
Google. The post—from Dave Kleidermacher,
Head of Security, and Andrew Ahn, Google Play
Product Manager—portrays Google as an active
guardian. In 2017, it took down 700,000 apps
that violated Google Play’s policies, a 70 percent
increase in removals over the year before, it said.
I’ve written about Android security for several
years now, and I can say it’s disappointing to see
how fast low-quality and even malicious apps can
spread through the Play Store. It hasn’t been
unusual for me to get tipped off to a malicious or
at least unsafe app—and see that thousands of
people had already downloaded it. But Google
says 99 percent of apps with what it calls “abusive
content” are now snagged before they’re
published.
³7KLVZDVSRVVLEOHWKURXJKVLJQL¿FDQW
improvements in our ability to detect abusive app
content and behaviors—such as impersonation,
inappropriate content, or malware—through new
machine learning models and techniques,”
Kleidermacher and Ahn wrote.

Max Edd

Google labels the really bad stuffâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;apps that can
secretly send, receive, and intercept SMS
messages for nefarious activitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as Potentially
Hazardous Apps (PHAs). They act as Trojans, or
they phish victims for personal information to
send back to the bad guys. In short, these apps are
designed to do actual harm.
+HUH*RRJOHLVOHVVVSHFLÂżFDERXWLPSURYHPHQWV
â&#x20AC;&#x153;While small in volume, PHAs pose a threat to
Android users and we invest heavily in keeping
them out of the Play Store,â&#x20AC;? Kleidermacher and
Ahn wrote in their post. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the launch of
Google Play Protect in 2017, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve reduced the
rate of PHA installs by an order of magnitude
compared to 2016.â&#x20AC;?
But Google is not just targeting apps. In 2017, it
revoked the privileges of 100,000 so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;bad
GHYHORSHUVÂ´ZKRÂżOOHGWKH3OD\6WRUHZLWKWKH
chaff that has plagued it for years. Google says itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
QRZPRUHGLIÂżFXOWIRUWKHVHEDGDFWRUVWRFUHDWH
new accounts and simply republish their appsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a
great step toward cleaning up the Play Store.
Not all â&#x20AC;&#x153;badâ&#x20AC;? Play Store apps are malicious. Most
are merely misleading and low-quality,
impersonating more popular apps from
mainstream developers and making money with
aggressive advertisements. Google says it took
down over 250,000 apps that impersonated a
different app in 2017.
A popular (but dubiously accurate) critique of the
Play Store is that it has relied too heavily on
automation to approve apps. Google, for its part,
has told me that humans were always involved at
some level of its app approval process.

@wmaxeddy

Max Edd

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen glimpses of this before. At the 2017 Google I/O conference,
the company said 20,000 dedicated processors reviewed 500,000 apps
DGD\IRUSRWHQWLDOPDOZDUH7KHLQĂ&#x20AC;XHQFHRIPDFKLQHOHDUQLQJDQG
associated AI technology has only increased. A Google rep told me that
the Play team is applying machine learning more broadly, to identify not
just bad apps but also the developer networks that create them.
Machine vision, the rep continued, is also improving the Google Play
experience. The system can identify bad apps more accurately and do so
at scale. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have much more data than before for the models to train
on so they can better detect nuances and hidden abuse,â&#x20AC;? the Google rep
said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And [machine learning] has helped make human reviewers be
more effective.â&#x20AC;?
This is all part of a larger shift Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen in how Google handles Android.
In the past, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d always felt Android put hardware and software
developersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; interests ahead of consumers. For example, it took years for
Google to implement an Apple-style permissions model, where users
FRXOGDSSURYHRUUHMHFWVSHFLÂżFSHUPLVVLRQVIRUHDFKDSS3UHYLRXVO\
Android required you to accept whatever the app requested if you
wanted to use it. And in Android 8.0 Oreo, stricter limitations on what
apps can do in the background are intended to give users a better
experience.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The initial focus/priority for Google Play/Android was to enable
developers [to] reach a big global audience and bring fast adoption of
the platform,â&#x20AC;? a Google representative told me. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now that Google Play
KDVUHDFKHGFULWLFDOPDVVZHÂśYHGHÂżQLWHO\VKLIWHGJHDUVWRIRFXVRQ
building a trusted and safe store. We want to make sure users get a highquality experience.â&#x20AC;?
Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a change of tune Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m glad to hear, and one that I hope continues.
max_eddy@pcmag.com

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REVIEWS
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

Apple HomePod
$349.00
L L L H m

Apple HomePod Sounds
Great but Is Shortsighted

T

he Apple HomePod is a high-quality smart speaker for your Apple
Music account and iTunes library, with some Siri voice assistant
features that help especially with smart home usage. The hardware is
excellent, but right now, Apple doesn’t have the broad vision for voice-assisted
living that the Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant platforms show.
Looking at voice platforms as the next world of computing, the HomePod seems
very lonely. Alexa and Google Assistant are systems, and they become more
powerful as they spread through your house. Your living room Google Home
Max is complemented by your kitchen Home Mini, which you use to broadcast,
“It’s dinnertime,” to the kids’ rooms. Your bedside Amazon Echo Spot wakes
you up to music, and then you tell the Echo Dot in the foyer to turn off the lights
when you head out on your commute.

The HomePod is priced, sized, and skilled to be a livingroom music speaker for other Apple devices. In that
context, the HomePod comes off as more like the Apple
Watch or the Apple TV: not a new, core product
category but an accessory to enhance your iPhone
ownership and make sure you keep paying that Apple
Music subscription fee. Since other voice-assisted
speakers canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t play Apple Music, the HomePod is the
obvious choice for iPhone owners and Apple Music
subscribers who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to pay an extra tithe to
Amazon, Google, or Spotify.
From an audio standpoint, the HomePod delivers a
rich, balanced sound signature that highlights the mids
and highs. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t distort at top volumes, and its bass
depth is impressive for its size. The HomePodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sound
FDQÂżOODURRPEXWLWGRHVQÂśWJHWTXLWHDVORXGRUGHOLYHU
quite as much deep-bass response as the slightly pricier
Google Home Max.
And we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recommend it as a broad solutionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;at least
not yetâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;for people who are considering diving more
deeply into home voice assistants. The HomePod plays
music. It sounds great. It controls your smart lights. But
unlike Alexa and Google Assistant, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yet have
the ambitions for more.
DESIGN AND SETUP
The HomePod is smaller than you might think and
covered in a mesh fabric, except for the glossy, touchsensitive top panel. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 6.8 inches high and 5.6 inches
wide and weighs 5.5 pounds. Sitting alongside the
Google Home Max, the HomePod looks rather small;
itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s slightly larger and wider than the Sonos One.
Regardless of size, all three speakers look like they
come from the same Black Mirror prop shop, which is
actually an across-the-board compliment.

Apple HomePod
PROS Powerful audio
performance with
rich, full bass.
Measurement mic
adjusts audio
according to your
roomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acoustics.
Visually pleasing
design.
CONS No Bluetooth
streaming. No aux
input. No way to
disable DSP. No voice
control for non-Apple
music services. Siri is
behind the
competition.

The only visible controls are volume buttons on top.
Tapping the panel in various patterns also works to
control play/pause, fast forward, and rewind. An
animated LED waveform appears on top when you
VSHDNWR6LULÂ˛WKLVVLJQLÂżHVWKDW6LULLVOLVWHQLQJWR\RX
Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no mic mute button, but you can say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hey Siri,
stop listening,â&#x20AC;? to turn off the mic and tap on the top
when you want to turn it back on.
Appleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to portless elegance goes too far,
in our view. The HomePod has no aux input for wired
playback. In fact, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a single connection on the
speaker. Even the power cable is hardwired, so if it goes
bad down the road, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to send the whole
speaker in for servicing rather than just get a new cable.
9to5Mac says, after seeing an internal Apple memo,
that a cable replacement costs $29.

From an audio
standpoint,
the HomePod
delivers a rich,
balanced sound
signature.

The HomePod is a
small but powerful
speaker designed to
be used with Appleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
phones and tablets.

Internally, the speaker uses an array of seven tweeters
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DQGDQXSZDUGÂżULQJZRRIHUZLWKLWVRZQDPSOLÂżFDWLRQ
The productâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s specs list all sort of exotic features
(â&#x20AC;&#x153;internal low-frequency calibration microphone for
automatic bass correction,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;transparent studio-level
dynamic processingâ&#x20AC;?) that basically add up to the same
thing: The HomePod uses digital signal processing
(DSP) to alter its audio output.

Mostly, this means the speaker limits dynamics and bass response when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
blasting at high volumes, primarily to prevent distortion. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the established
norm with wireless speakers in this price range and lower.
Like some soundbars and home theater systems weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve tested, the HomePod
also measures the room itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in and adjusts the audio according to its acousticsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;
thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what that calibration mic is for. All of this, as well as the streaming and
buffering of audio, is powered internally by the Apple A8 chip. The mics are
sensitive and had no problem hearing us say â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hey Siriâ&#x20AC;? over loud music.
To set up the HomePod, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need an Apple iPhone 5s or later, an iPad Air or
later, an iPad mini 2 or later, or an iPod touch. You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t set it up without an
iOS device, even with a Mac. You also need a Wi-Fi network; it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t run
without Wi-Fi.
Setup is dead simpleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;easier than with Amazon or Google and far easier than
Sonos. Just wave your phone near the speaker, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll borrow your phoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
settings and get going.
PLAYING AT HOME
The HomePod is designed to be used with an Apple Music subscription.
Without a subscription, it can play Beats 1 radio, music you bought from Apple,
podcasts in Appleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s library, or anything via AirPlay. If you have an iTunes Match
subscription but not Apple Music, it can also play the uploaded or matched
music in your iCloud Music Library. It does not have Bluetooth or a 3.5mm
input. (The speaker itself has Bluetooth but uses it only for pairing.)
Technically, the HomePod supports HE-AAC, AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, AIFF,
WAV, and FLAC music. But all those formats are processed through AirPlay or
Appleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cloud.
Audiophiles should remember that when you play your synced music through
the cloud from your iCloud library, it will play at 256kbps AAC. AirPlay is
N+]ORVVOHVVVWUHDPLQJWKRXJKDQG\RXFDQ$LU3OD\DQ\ÂżOHWKDWL7XQHV
can play. We even AirPlayed from a Windows PC without a problem. If you play
from an Android device, though, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll struggle; third-party AirPlay apps for
Android are unreliable and fall in and out of compatibility.

The glowing light on
top tells you Siri is
listening. You can tell
Siri not to listen, if
you want to
temporarily disable
the mic.

The speaker won’t work in tandem with others or as part of a multi-room set—
yet. Apple says later this year, it will offer the option to pair two HomePods for
stereo sound (the way Google allows with its Google Home Max), and to use
AirPlay 2 to create multi-room sound stages.
Unlike other voice assistant speakers, the HomePod lets you request songs from
Apple only by voice—not from Spotify or other radio services. But you can
AirPlay other streaming services from your iPhone or computer. We tried
Google Play Music, Pandora, Spotify, and YouTube Music, all on an iPhone X.
They all let you say things like, “Next track,” to skip a track, pause and resume
songs, and ask the name of a song. But they had a few bugs. YouTube Music
would sometimes start in the middle of a song when I said, “Next track,” and
Pandora had a noticeable delay in fast forwarding.
AUDIO PERFORMANCE
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the
HomePod delivers a powerful bass thump that is impressive for its size. At
maximum volume, the bass doesn’t distort, and the speaker gets quite loud,
though it’s not as loud or powerful as the Google Home Max. The Home Max is
able to provide more palpable subwoofer-like depth, but the HomePod sounds
more mids- and highs-focused while still delivering some rich, full bass
response. At moderate volumes, the bass response is often stronger, as it’s less
affected by DSP.

Bass response is one area where the calibration mic
probably helps. Where you place a speaker—how close
it is to a wall, the vibrations of the surface it’s placed
on—can really impact bass levels, sometimes in a
positive way but most often not. The HomePod aims to
regulate this variable and provide you with consistent
bass depth, so that what you hear when you place it in
the corner shouldn’t vary wildly from what you hear
when you place it in the middle of a room. Theoretically,
this is great, but having no control over it at all is bound
to drive some audio lovers insane.

Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass
in the mix, gives us a better sense of the HomePod’s
overall sound signature. The drums on this track can
sound overly thunderous on systems that heavily boost
the bass, but through the HomePod, the drums sound
more modest—not at all thin but not as heavy as some
bass-centric speakers make them. The more obvious
bass depth is instead found in Callahan’s baritone
vocals, which sound especially full and rich here.

The HomePod
autocalibrates using
its microphones,
tweeters, and A8 chip,
to provide good audio
performance
wherever you place it.

This would make the HomePodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sound signature muddy were it not for an
excellent high-mid and high frequency presence that adds some treble edge to
the vocals and lends some additional brightness to the guitar strums and extra
snap to the higher register percussive hits. This is a balanced, rich sound
signatureâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Appleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s DSP may not be transparent, but it honors the basic
intentions of the mix and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exaggerate low frequencies or add too much
sibilance or brightness.
On Jay-Z and Kanye Westâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;No Church in the Wild,â&#x20AC;? the kick drum loop
receives the ideal amount of high-mid presence, allowing the loopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attack to
retain its punchiness and push through the layers of the mix. The loop also gets
some pleasant lower-frequency depth added in, nothing too intense and mostly
in the lows and low-mids. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are
delivered with solid presence, but especially at higher volumes, we get less deep
sub-bass from them and hear more of their raspy top notes. In other words, the
DSP kicks in and limits the bass response in the sub-bass frequencies.
At moderate volumes, the DSP does less of this, and so the bass can actually
sound more full and deep than when you crank things up. The vocals on this
track sound crisp and clear and never veer into overly sibilant territory.
Generally speaking, vocals sound great through the HomePod across the board.
7KH'63GRHVDÂżQHMRERISULRULWL]LQJKLJKPLGVDQGKLJKVDQGWKLVUHVXOWVLQD
crisp delivery.

For orchestral tracks, such as the opening scene from
John Adamsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; The Gospel According to the Other Mary,
the lower-register instrumentation gets a modest
amount of boosting, but the stage still belongs to the
higher-register brass, strings, and vocals. This is one
genre that seems to sound less adjusted by the DSP than
othersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s little in the way of sub-bass, but when it
appears in the mix, its presence is modest. The lower
register strings on other classical tracks have a lovely
rich quality to them, and things generally sound quite
natural on orchestral tracks across the board.
Playing these tracks via Apple Music versus streaming
them, say, from a phone with AirPlay, the difference in
audio performance is almost too subtle to mention.
:KHQ\RXÂśUHSOD\LQJKLJKUHVORVVOHVVÂżOHVRYHU$LU3OD\
(from an iOS device or Apple computer), youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re
technically listening to a higher quality stream than
when listening to Apple Music, but remember: It all
goes through the DSP, and the DSP canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be disabled.
Thus the concept of â&#x20AC;&#x153;losslessâ&#x20AC;? as far as the HomePod is
concerned must be married to the concept of a
somewhat sculpted sound signatureâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;even when your
VRXUFHÂżOHLVSXUHDVFDQEHLWZLOOEHVXEMHFWWR$SSOHÂśV
sonic sculpting. This is a negative for purists, but plenty
RIOLVWHQHUVZLOOÂżQGWKHRYHUDOODXGLRSHUIRUPDQFHDQG
DSP to be quite favorable.

The lower
register
strings on
other
classical
tracks have a
lovely rich
quality to
them.

The only visible
controls on the
HomePod are the
volume buttons on
the top, but tapping
the top in various
patterns controls
play/pause, fast
forward, and rewind.

The HomePod has
one woofer and seven
tweeters, all tucked
under a fabric cover
that comes in gray or
white. The cover is
not removable.

GET SIRIOUS
The HomePod uses Appleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Siri as its voice assistant, although its version of Siri
isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as powerful as the one in your phone. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very, very focused on what Apple
thinks you should be doing with it, which is playing music and controlling your
smart home.
According to a report from IFTTT, most people use smart speakers to stream
PXVLFFRQWUROOLJKWLQJVHWWLPHUVDQGJHWWKHZHDWKHU7KH+RPH3RGGRHVÂżQH
with three out of those four tasks; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just lousy with timers.
But that makes sense, at least, considering the HomePodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s size and cost. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
designed to be a music speaker at the focus of your living room. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not
supposed to be a bedside alarm clock, unlike the Amazon Echo Spot, or a
kitchen timer, or a multi-room intercom system as Echo Dots and Google Home
Minis are.
MUSIC QUERIES
I came up with 25 queries to ask the HomePod, Amazon Echo, and Google
Home, to check out the difference between the systems.
All three speakers had no problem playing songs by name. When asked to â&#x20AC;&#x153;play
80s new wave musicâ&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;play old-school hip-hop,â&#x20AC;? all the speakers came up
with custom playlists that worked with the genre. Fair enough.
Things got a little odd when I asked the speakers to â&#x20AC;&#x153;play something upbeat,â&#x20AC;?
â&#x20AC;&#x153;play something sleepy,â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;play some quiet music.â&#x20AC;? For upbeat, Alexa picked
a pop playlist, Google picked jazz, and Siri picked funk. For quiet, Alexa gave me
Ed Sheeran, Google chose a Janet Jackson ballad, and Siri went with Steely
Dan. And for sleepy, Alexa delivered nature sounds, Google had some relaxing
electronica, and Siri gave up and played Wiz Khalifa.

Finally, I asked the speakers to â&#x20AC;&#x153;play something Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like.â&#x20AC;? Alexa and Google gave
XSWKHUHWU\LQJWRÂżQGVRQJVE\WKDWWLWOH6LULJRWWKHLQWHQWULJKWEXWODXQFKHG
into an emo track by Rise Against, which I do not like.
HOME AND KITCHEN
HomeKit is one of the HomePodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great strengths. You can now control by voice
any smart devices and systems youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve set up through your iPhone, including
scenes and zones. We easily turned lights on and off using the HomePod, even
with our iPhone turned off.
The HomePod falls short as a timer because it can set only one at a time. You
FDQJHWDURXQGWKDWE\VHWWLQJDODUPVIRUVSHFLÂżFWLPHVRIGD\IRULQVWDQFHDVN
Siri what time it is, and then set an alarm for three minutes later), but Amazon
and Google both support multiple named timers, which is much smoother.
6LULIDOOVĂ&#x20AC;DWRQUHFLSHVWRR$OH[DDQG*RRJOHERWKUHDGRXWDUDQJHRIUHFLSHV
and ingredients, step by step. Siri just says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get the answer to this on
HomePod.â&#x20AC;? Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use it in your kitchen.
NEWS AND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where Siri really starts to fail.
The HomePod gets its weather data from weather.com. All three voice systems
responded to, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What will the weather be tomorrow?,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Will it rain tomorrow?,â&#x20AC;?
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do I need a coat?,â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do I need an umbrella?â&#x20AC;?
In terms of news, the HomePod is more limited than the competition. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll play
you a news brief from CNN, Fox News, NPR, or the Washington Post. Both
Alexa and Google have hundreds or thousands of news sources.
When you ask for calendar events, Siri says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t access your calendar here.â&#x20AC;?
Alexa has various calendar skills; Google tells you your Google calendar events
as long as you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a G Suite account.
As for general knowledge queries, which weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re lukewarm on testing anyway
because they feel gimmicky, Google did much better than either Alexa or Siri,
spelling the world â&#x20AC;&#x153;querulousâ&#x20AC;? correctly (the other two misunderstood what I
was saying) and telling me how many albums Belle and Sebastian made.

Siri also falls way short when it comes to third-party
branded skills. Alexa and Google can order you an Uber,
for instance, buy you movie tickets, and plug into thirdparty notes and to-do services. Siri, at least for now,
can’t do any of these things.
It really isn’t clear how many third-party services plug
into Siri; Apple wouldn’t give us a list. But it’s certainly
many fewer than the 2,000 skills for Google Assistant,
or the 24,000 for Alexa.
OTHER COMPARISONS
The Echo and Google Home devices can make outbound
phone calls; the HomePod cannot, although it can be
used as a speakerphone for an existing call on your
iPhone. All three devices can send texts.
The HomePod can connect to only one Apple account,
and it doesn’t verify voices. (Google Home can
automatically respond to up to six different people
using their accounts, and Alexa can be asked to switch
accounts.) That means when you hook up SMS
messaging, anyone will be able to send texts from your
phone number through your HomePod, as long as your
phone is in range.

The Amazon
Echo and
Google Home
devices can
make
outbound
phone calls;
the HomePod
cannot.

Also, unless you tell the HomePod to â&#x20AC;&#x153;turn off use listening history,â&#x20AC;? everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
music selections will be taken into account when you ask for custom playlists,
which could add up to some odd results. Alexa and Google Home are much
better at balancing the needs of families.
CONCLUSIONS
The HomePod is a sonic success. Purists may thumb their noses at the DSP and
overall inability to disable the room-adapting technology in favor of an
XQDGXOWHUDWHGVLJQDOEXWZHFDQFRQÂżUPWKDWDOWKRXJKWKHDXGLRSHUIRUPDQFH
may be steeped in digital processing, it almost always sounds rich, full, and
clear. The speaker is easy to set up and effortless to use, as long as youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re
playing Apple Music.
But while the HomePod makes a great living-room speaker for your Apple
Music subscription, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s neither the core of a voice-activated home nor the best
smart speaker available. Our Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice for high-end smart speakers, the
Google Home Max, is larger and more powerful with better volume, better bass
GHSWKDEHWWHUYRLFHDVVLVWDQWDQGPRUHĂ&#x20AC;H[LELOLW\ZLWKPXVLFVHUYLFHVDQG
inputs. The Home Max can also become part of a household system with
various smaller Google Assistant speakers. Apple doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have such a range
available. For now, the HomePod stands alone.
Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also irritated at how the HomePod doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t play well with others. The lack
of Bluetooth input, aux input, and support for more music services feels to us
more like a marketing move to lock you out of non-Apple music sources than a
consumer-friendly, quality-oriented choice.
7KH+RPH3RGIHHOVXQÂżQLVKHGEXWZHZRXOGQÂśWFRXQW$SSOHRXW7KHÂżUVW
L3KRQHIHOWXQÂżQLVKHGWRRZLWKLWVSRRUTXDOLW\SKRQHFDOOVODFNRI*DQG
ODFNRIDSSV7KHÂżUVWL3RGGLGQÂśWVXSSRUW:LQGRZV7KH+RPH3RGLVDQ
DGPLUDEOHÂżUVWWU\,WÂśVHQWHULQJDUHDOPZKHUHWKHFRPSHWLWLRQKDVEHHQ
working on its products for years. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s see how fast Apple can catch up.
SASCHA SEGAN, TIM GIDEON

REVIEWS
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

Analogue Super Nt:
Superlative Retro Gaming
Calling Analogue a niche retro gaming
company undersells what it does. The
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DJDPHV\VWHPWKDWFRXOGSOD\1LQWHQGR
EDITORSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
CHOICE
Entertainment System games and output
them at 1080p over HDMI. It also had a solid metal
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a much more reasonable price and offers the best
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1080p upconversion you can get. This system is for a
YHU\VSHFLÂ¿FW\SHRIUHWURJDPHFROOHFWRUIRUZKRPLW
undoubtedly earns our Editorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Choice.

Analogue
Super Nt
$189.99
L L L l m

DESIGN
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ERG\RIWKH$QDORJXH1WRU0LQL1WLWÂ¶VVWLOODKHIW\OLWWOH
device. At 1.6 by 6.5 by 5.2 inches (HWD) and 17.6
RXQFHVLWÂ¶VDOPRVWWZLFHWKHVL]HRIWKH61(6&ODVVLF
and over three times its weight. The Retro-Bit Super
5HWUR7ULR3OXVDQG+\SHUNLQ5HWUR1ZHLJKDQG
RXQFHVEXWWKH\Â¶UHDOVRDERXWWZRDQGWKUHHWLPHV
ODUJHUWKDQWKH6XSHU1W$QDORJXHZLQVWKHEDWWOHRI
the retro game consoles in terms of sheer density.

,WLVQÂ¶WDQHDUO\SHUIHFWPLQLDWXUL]HGYHUVLRQRID6XSHU
1(6OLNHWKH61(6&ODVVLFLVEXWWKH6XSHU1WKDVDQ
attractive design with classic notes that retro game fans
will appreciate. Its slightly curved box shape hails back
WRWKH6XSHU)DPLFRPWKHRULJLQDO-DSDQHVHYHUVLRQRI
WKH61(6WKDWIHDWXUHGDPXFKVOHHNHUGHVLJQWKDQLWV
more angular American counterpart. The similarities
DUHHYHQPRUHDSSDUHQWLQWKH6)YHUVLRQZLWKLWVOLJKW
and dark-gray color scheme based on the Super
)DPLFRP7KH6XSHU1WLVDOVRDYDLODEOHLQ&ODVVLF
61(6VW\OHOLJKWJUD\ZLWKSXUSOHEXWWRQV
%ODFNDQG
Transparent models.

The Super Nt has a
cartridge slot on the
top panel, with power
and reset buttons
underneath.

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VORWRQWKHWRSSDQHOSRZHUDQGUHVHWEXWWRQVXQGHULW
7KH\Â¶UHSXVKEXWWRQVOLNHWKRVHRQWKH6XSHU)DPLFRP
UDWKHUWKDQVOLGLQJVZLWFKHVOLNHWKHRQHVRQWKH61(6
7KH6XSHU1WKDVQRPHFKDQLFDOHMHFWEXWWRQ\RX
remove cartridges simply by pulling carefully as you
hold the system in place.
7KHEDFNRIWKH6XSHU1WKDVRQO\DPLFUR86%SRUWIRU
power through the included wall adapter and an HDMI
port for hooking the system up to your TV. Since most
RIWKHDSSHDORIWKH6XSHU1WLVLWVH[FHOOHQWXSVFDOLQJLW
has no legacy video outputs for connecting it to a
VWDQGDUGGHÂ¿QLWLRQ79$Q6'FDUGVORWRQWKHULJKW
VLGHRIWKHV\VWHPOHWV\RXXSGDWHWKH6XSHU1WÂ¶V
Â¿UPZDUHVKRXOG$QDORJXHUHOHDVHVDQHZYHUVLRQ

CONTROLLERS
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FRQWUROOHUVZLWKWKHV\VWHPZKLFKLVDVKDPH
considering its fairly steep price. But you can order the
%LWGR61JDPHSDGDQG61(65HWUR5HFHLYHU
WKURXJK$QDORJXHDORQJZLWKWKH6XSHU1WIRU

The Super Nt
has an
attractive
design with
classic notes
that retro
game fans will
appreciate.

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ZLWKWKH61(6&ODVVLF,WÂ¶VDQLPSUHVVLYHO\DFFXUDWHUHFUHDWLRQRIWKHRULJLQDO
61(6DQG6XSHU)DPLFRPJDPHSDGVWKDWIHHOVH[FHOOHQWDQGZRUNVFRPSOHWHO\
ZLUHOHVVO\WKDQNVWRWKH5HWUR5HFHLYHUWKDWÂ¿WVLQWRHLWKHUFRQWUROOHUSRUW6LQFH
WKH6XSHU1WXVHVWKHRULJLQDO61(66)FRQWUROOHUSRUW\RXFDQDOVRXVH
RULJLQDO61(6JDPHSDGVRUDQ\QXPEHURIWKLUGSDUW\UHSURGXFWLRQV
INTERFACE
:KHQ\RXWXUQWKH6XSHU1WRQWKHV\VWHPWDNHVDIHZVHFRQGVWRERRWXSDQG
WKHQEULQJV\RXWRDPDLQPHQXZKHUH\RXFDQDFFHVVZKDWHYHUJDPHLV
LQVHUWHGLQWKHFDUWULGJHVORWFKDQJHVHWWLQJVRUSOD\6XSHU7XUULFDQ'LUHFWRUÂ¶V
&XWRU6XSHU7XUULFDQWKHRQO\WZRJDPHVEXLOWLQ
6LQFHWKH6XSHU1WXVHV
61(6KDUGZDUHDQGFDUWULGJHVUDWKHUWKDQHPXODWLRQWRSOD\LWVJDPHVWKH
presence of two clearly digital games on the system is a bit strange.
6XSHU7XUULFDQZDVRULJLQDOO\UHOHDVHGRQWKH61(6LQ,WZDVGHYHORSHG
E\)DFWRUZKLFKPDGH7XUULFDQDQG7XUULFDQ,,IRUWKH$PLJDDQG$WDUL67
DQG0HJD7XUULFDQIRUWKH6HJD*HQHVLV7KHÂ¿QLVKHGYHUVLRQRI6XSHU7XUULFDQ
ZDV0%ZKLFKKDGWREHFXWGRZQWRUHOHDVHWKHJDPHRQD0%FDUWULGJH
6XSHU7XUULFDQ'LUHFWRUÂ¶V&XWLVWKHRULJLQDOYHUVLRQRI6XSHU7XUULFDQ
restoring all of the dropped content. Because the uncut version of Super
7XUULFDQZDVQHYHUUHOHDVHGDQGQRWSXWRQDQ\RI1LQWHQGRÂ¶V9LUWXDO&RQVROHV
LWVSUHVHQFHRQWKH6XSHU1WLVDUDUHRSSRUWXQLW\WRSOD\WKHIXOOJDPHDV
developed. Super Turrican 2 is simply a nice bonus.
7KHRSWLRQVPHQXVKRZV\RXKRZPXFKHIIRUWZDVSXWLQWKH6XSHU1WÂ¶VYLGHR
SURFHVVLQJ7RVWDUWZLWK\RXFDQVHWWKH6XSHU1WWRRXWSXWYLGHRDWS
SRUSDWRUIUDPHVSHUVHFRQG<RXFDQDOVRFKRRVHIURPD
YDULHW\RIXSVFDOHUÂ¿OWHUVWKDWSURYLGHGLIIHUHQWVPRRWKLQJHIIHFWV,JUHDWO\
SUHIHUWKH1R8SVFDOHURSWLRQZKLFKVLPSO\EORZVXSHDFKSL[HOUHSURGXFLQJLW
crisply to show off each gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sprite art without any attempt to round out
VKDUSHGJHV<RXFDQDOVRWRJJOHVFDQOLQHVIRUD&57HIIHFWDQGHYHQDGMXVWWKH
shape and density of them.
%\GHIDXOWWKH6XSHU1WJRHVWKURXJKDVWDUWXSDQLPDWLRQWKDWODVWVVHYHUDO
seconds before opening the main menu. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tedious after youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen it a few
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ZKDWHYHUFDUWULGJHLVLQVHUWHGE\SDVVLQJWKHDQLPDWLRQ

When you
put a
cartridge in
the system,
you play that
game just as
though you
would on a
SNES.
CARTRIDGE COMPATIBILITY
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UHOLHVHQWLUHO\RQ\RXURZQ61(6DQG6XSHU)DPLFRP
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already have them. And those cartridges have to be in
good condition.
,I\RXKDYHQÂ¶WSOD\HGWKHJDPHVLQDZKLOHFOHDQWKH
contacts using cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol. A set
RI*DPHELWVFUHZGULYHUVOHWV\RXRSHQXSWKHFDUWULGJHV
to clean the full length of the contacts and to make sure
that none of the components on the inside are broken.
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hardware and then upconverts the video output to the
desired resolution over HDMI. So while you have full
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emulator tricks like save states or rom patches. When
\RXSXWDFDUWULGJHLQWKHV\VWHP\RXSOD\WKDWJDPH
MXVWDVWKRXJK\RXZRXOGRQD61(6

GAMEPLAY
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WKHRULJLQDO1WWKH6XSHU1WXVHVLPPDFXODWHYLGHRSURFHVVLQJWRXSFRQYHUW
RUGLQDULO\6'RUVXE6'61(6JDPHVWRXSWRS:LWKRXWDQXSVFDOHUÂ¿OWHU
WKDWPHDQVFOHDQOLQHVEHWZHHQFRQWUDVWLQJSL[HOVHDFKGLVSOD\HGLQEULJKW
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with emulation-based systems that simply render the games at higher
UHVROXWLRQVVXFKDVWKH61(6&ODVVLF
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noticeable lag (though there might be input lag on your TVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end as high as
PVUHPHPEHUWRVHW\RXU79WR*DPH0RGHLILWKDVRQH
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responsively even over a wireless Bluetooth connection.
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responsive performance and controls.
THE BEST AT WHAT IT DOES
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quality and graphics processing are top-notch. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the most important aspect
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ZLWKÃ&#x20AC;DZOHVVXSFRQYHUVLRQ,WVSULFHLVKLJKHYHQFRPSDUHGZLWKRWKHU
HQWKXVLDVWOHYHOUHWURJDPHV\VWHPVLQFOXGLQJWKH-DSDQHVH5HWUR)UHDNEXW
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please retro game purists. If you want the best classic gaming experience with
\RXUFDUWULGJHVDQGGRQÂ¶WZDQWWRWRXFKHPXODWRUVWKH$QDORJXH6XSHU1WLV
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WILL GREENWALD

PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION

I SUBSCRIBE I

MARCH 2018

REVIEWS
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

DJI Mavic Pro Platinum:
The Best Small Drone
The DJI Mavic Pro Platinum is the best small
drone you can buy. Its folding form factor lets
you stow it easily in a camera or messenger
bag, and it has a dedicated remote that’s also
EDITORS’
CHOICE
TXLWHFRPSDFW7KHGURQH¶VÀLJKWSHUIRUPDQFH
is top-notch, with 4K video to match, and built-in safety
features including automated return-to-home and
forward obstacle avoidance. It’s a fantastic choice for
most aerial videographers and YouTubers, and it’s our
Editors’ Choice—although DJI has some options to
cater to the higher end, including the Phantom 4 Pro
and Inspire 2.

DJI Mavic Pro
Platinum
$1,099.00
L L L l h

DESIGN
The Mavic Pro Platinum is the second iteration of the
Mavic drone. DJI didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make any changes to the basic
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apart from the Mavic Pro (which is a darker gray) by
sight. When folded, the drone measures 3.3 by 3.3 by
LQFKHVLWZHLJKVDERXWSRXQGV,WÂżWVLQWRWKH
pocket of my camera bag in which I normally stow a
small telezoom lens. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a big difference from the
Phantom 4 Pro, which really requires its own backpack
to transport.
A drone shot can add some serious production value to
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you can throw in a backpack, get up in the air in
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forward obstacle avoidanceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;is a big deal. And the
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Phantom.
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also easier to set up. The Mavicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s propellers fold, so
you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to remove them for storage (two sets are
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to installâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;they click and lock rather than screw into
SODFHÂ˛EXWHYHQVRWKH\DGGDIHZPLQXWHVWRWKHĂ&#x20AC;LJKW
prep process.

The Mavic Pro
Platinum has a lighter
ďŹ nish than the
original Mavic Pro but
is otherwise
physically identical.

The Pro Platinum promises two upgrades over its
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RSHUDWLRQ%RWKUHVXOWIURPUHÂżQHPHQWVLQPRWRUDQG
propeller design.
In our battery tests, the drone averaged about 28
PLQXWHVRIĂ&#x20AC;LJKWWLPHRQDIXOO\FKDUJHGEDWWHU\7KDWÂśV
a little shy of DJIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 30-minute estimate but a big
improvement over the 23 minutes we got, on average,
with the original Mavic Pro. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still a good idea to carry
DVSDUHEDWWHU\RUWZR
([WUDEDWWHULHVDUHDQG
DJI sells the Mavic Pro Platinum Fly More bundle for
ZKLFKDGGVWZRH[WUDEDWWHULHVIRUDWRWDORI
three) as well as a carrying case, an additional spare
propeller pair, a car charger, and a charging hub.

The drone gathers information data from both GPS and
GLONASS satellites. It picks up the location very
quickly and can hover in place thanks to the precision
that satellite positioning provides. The Mavic can also
Ă&#x20AC;\LQGRRUVZLWKRXWWKHDLGRIVDWHOOLWHV,WKDV
downward-facing sensors that read the patterns of the
JURXQGEHORZWRNHHSLWVWHDG\GXULQJLQGRRUĂ&#x20AC;LJKW<RX
VKRXOGDYRLGĂ&#x20AC;\LQJRYHUPLUURUHGVXUIDFHVDQGJLYH
yourself plenty of room.

Built-in
safety features
include
automated
return-to-home
and forward
obstacle
avoidance.

When folded, the
Mavic Pro ďŹ ts easily
into a camera bag. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
not that much bigger
than a telezoom lens.

The Mavic cruised along at a steady 20mph in test
Ă&#x20AC;LJKWVZLWKREVWDFOHDYRLGDQFHHQDEOHG,WKDVD6SRUW
mode that disables the obstacle sensors and pushes the
top speed to 40mph. The Phantom 4 Pro gives you a bit
PRUHVSHHGLQWKHDLUPSKLQLWVVWDQGDUGPRGHDQG
PSKLQ6SRUW7KHH[WUDVSHHGFDQDGGVRPHRRPSK
to your aerial videos, but remember that you can always
speed up video using Premiere Pro.
DJI GO APP AND REMOTE CONTROL
The Mavic Pro Platinum ships with the same compact
remote control as its predecessor. The remote is about
the size of a game controller when folded. It has a
monochrome LCD display (which shows connection
status, battery life, and the like) and two analog sticks
IRUĂ&#x20AC;LJKWFRQWURO%XWWRQVLQFOXGH3RZHU5HWXUQWR
+RPHDQG3DXVH&RQWUROZKHHOVDGMXVWFDPHUD
H[SRVXUHDQGJLPEDOWLOWDQGWKHUHÂśVDVPDOOMR\SDGRQ
the face with custom functions assignable via the DJI
Go 4 app. The remote also has video record and stillphoto buttons.
The remote has a bottom clip that unfolds to hold a
VPDUWSKRQH,WFDQHDVLO\ÂżWDELJRQHOLNHWKHL3KRQH
Plus. A USB cable runs from the side and through the
clip to connect your phone to the remote. DJI includes
Lightning, micro USB, and USB-C cables, so all modern
smartphones are covered. Getting the cable threaded
through and locked into position can be a bit tricky, but
once itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in place, you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to worry about it.
<RXFDQĂ&#x20AC;\WKH0DYLFZLWKRXWDVPDUWSKRQHEXW\RX
ZRQÂśWJHWDÂżUVWSHUVRQYLHZIURPWKHFDPHUDDQG\RX
ZRQÂśWKDYHDFFHVVWRDGMXVWDORWRILWVYLGHRDQGSKRWR
features. I recommend you use your phone with the
UHPRWHWKHVDIHW\EHQHÂżWVRIVHHLQJWKURXJKWKHGURQHÂśV
camera are reason enough.

You can ďŹ&#x201A;y the
Mavic without
a smartphone,
but then you
wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get a
ďŹ rst-person
view from
the camera.

I used an
iPhone 8 Plus
in testing, but
any modern
Android or iOS
handset will do
the trick.
Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need a phone that can run the DJI Go 4 app. I
used an iPhone 8 Plus in testing, but any modern
Android or iOS handset will do the trick. Android
GHYLFHVQHHGWREHUXQQLQJYHUVLRQRUQHZHUL26
QHHGVYHUVLRQRUQHZHU
In addition to a live feed from the Mavicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lens (at 720p
TXDOLW\
WKHDSSHQDEOHVXVHRIDXWRPDWHGÃ&#x20AC;LJKWPRGHV
DQGOHWV\RXFRQÂ¿JXUHWKHREVWDFOHDYRLGDQFHV\VWHP
and set video and image capture settings. Automated
Ã&#x20AC;LJKWSDWWHUQVLQFOXGH3RLQWRI,QWHUHVWZKLFKÃ&#x20AC;LHV
DURXQGDSRLQWLQDSHUIHFWFLUFOH:D\SRLQWVZKLFKFDQ
Ã&#x20AC;\DSUHVHWSDWWHUQUHSHDWHGO\DQG)ROORZ0HZKLFK
follows the position of the remote control.
<RXDOVRJHW7DS)O\ZKLFKOHWV\RXÃ&#x20AC;\WKHGURQHE\
tapping on the screen of your phone rather than using
WKHÃ&#x20AC;LJKWVWLFNVDQG&RXUVH/RFNDQG+RPH/RFN
which change the way the way the drone responds to
stick commands based on its orientation or position in
relation to your current location.
$XWRPDWHGVXEMHFWWUDFNLQJLVDQRWKHURSWLRQ
$FWLYH7UDFNOHWV\RXGUDZDER[DURXQGDVXEMHFW7KH
GURQHZLOOWUDFNWKHVXEMHFWDVLWPRYHVDQGXVHLWV
obstacle avoidance system to prevent crashes.

)$$UHJXODWLRQVUHTXLUH\RXWRNHHSWKHGURQHLQ\RXUOLQHRIVLJKWZKHQÃ&#x20AC;\LQJ
,QWKHHYHQW\RXÂ¶UHZRUNLQJZLWKDVSRWWHURUÃ&#x20AC;\LQJLQDORFDOHZLWKOHVVVWULFW
rules, the Mavic is capable of going much farther. DJI rates its transmission
range in terms of miles, so you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to worry about losing the video feed
ZKHQÃ&#x20AC;\LQJ,QWKHXQOLNHO\HYHQWWKDWFRPPXQLFDWLRQLVGLVUXSWHGWKH0DYLF
Pro returns to its take-off point and lands itself.
7KHUHÂ¶VEHHQDORWRIQRLVHRYHU'-,Â¶VÂ¿UPZDUHXSGDWHVDQG1R)O\=RQH
HQIRUFHPHQWVLQFHZHODVWHYDOXDWHGRQHRILWVSURGXFWV/HWÂ¶VWDONÂ¿UPZDUHÂ¿UVW
'-,SXVKHVRXWÂ¿UPZDUHXSGDWHVZLWKUHJXODULW\$QGEHFDXVH\RXXVHDQ
internet-connected phone to run the DJI Go 4 app, it knows if thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new
Â¿UPZDUHDYDLODEOH
7\SLFDOO\\RXFDQE\SDVVWKHXSGDWHLQWKHÂ¿HOGDQGJRÃ&#x20AC;\LQJEXWVRPHSDVW
XSGDWHVKDYHSUHYHQWHGÃ&#x20AC;LJKW%XWNHHSLQJXSWRGDWHZLWKÂ¿UPZDUHLVDJRRG
WKLQJ%XJÂ¿[HVDUHLPSOHPHQWHGQHZIHDWXUHVDUHDGGHGÂ²W\SLFDOÂ¿UPZDUH
stuff.
)UHTXHQWÃ&#x20AC;LHUVFDQVWD\RQWRSRIXSGDWHVEXWZKDWLI\RXXVHWKHGURQHRQO\D
IHZWLPHVD\HDU"<RXÂ¶UHSUREDEO\JRLQJWRKDYHWRXSGDWHEHIRUHPRVWÃ&#x20AC;LJKWV
6FKHGXOHDQKRXUWRGRVRWKHQLJKWEHIRUHÃ&#x20AC;LJKWVVR\RXFDQDYRLGJHWWLQJLQWR
WKHÂ¿HOGWRÂ¿QGWKH0DYLF3URLVQÂ¶WUHDG\WRÃ&#x20AC;\
1RÃ&#x20AC;\]RQHVDUHDQRWKHUERQHRIFRQWHQWLRQ'-,KDVWDNHQDPRUHKDQGVRQ
DSSURDFKWROLPLWLQJÃ&#x20AC;LJKWLQRUGHUWRIRUFHLWVFXVWRPHUVWRFRPSO\ZLWK)$$
regulations. The drone wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take off in some areas at allâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;DJI refers to these as
5HVWULFWHG=RQHV7KHVHLQFOXGHDOORI:DVKLQJWRQ'&DQGWKHLPPHGLDWHDUHD
DURXQGPDMRUDQGPLQRUDLUSRUWV,I\RXGRKDYHDXWKRUL]DWLRQWRXVHWKHGURQH
in these normally verboten airspaces, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to contact DJI via email to
DUUDQJHDÃ&#x20AC;LJKW
7KHQWKHUHDUH$XWKRUL]DWLRQ=RQHV<RXFDQXQORFNWKHVHYLDWKHDSSDVVXPLQJ
WKDW\RXKDYHYHULÂ¿HG\RXU'-,DFFRXQW6RPHRIWKHVHFKDQJHEDVHGRQ
eventsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m seeing one in Manhattan for VIP Movement at press timeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but
RWKHUVDUHVWDWLF'-,JLYHVDPRGHODLUFUDIWÃ&#x20AC;\LQJFOXEDVDQH[DPSOHRIDW\SLFDO
$XWKRUL]DWLRQ=RQHWKHVHDUHRIWHQVLWXDWHGQHDUVPDOODLUÂ¿HOGV

This is the DJI Fly
Safe Geo Zone Map.
The company
implements zones
that prohibit ďŹ&#x201A;ight
near airports, power
plants, prisons, and
so on, and
temporarily creates
zones around major
stadium events,
forest ďŹ res, and other
emergency
situations.

)LQDOO\WKHUHDUH(QKDQFHG:DUQLQJ=RQHVZKLFK\RXFDQXQORFNZLWKRXWD
YHULÂżHGDFFRXQWDQG:DUQLQJ=RQHVZKLFKEODQNHWWKH8QLWHG6WDWHVEXWGRQÂśW
prevent you from taking off. The DJI Go app warned me that there are unpaved
airstrips near my parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rural Pennsylvania farm, my preferred testing area
IRUÂżUVWĂ&#x20AC;LJKWVZKLFKLVQHZVWRPH
DJI has an interactive map that breaks down all of these areas. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth a look
EHIRUH\RXEX\WKH0DYLF3UR3ODWLQXP<RXGRQÂśWZDQWWRMXPSLQWRGURQH
RZQHUVKLSRQO\WRÂżQGWKDW\RXUKRPHDUHDLVULGGOHGZLWKĂ&#x20AC;LJKWUHVWULFWLRQV
3UHYHQWLQJGURQHRZQHUVIURPĂ&#x20AC;\LQJZKHUHWKH\VKRXOGQÂśWLVDGLYLVLYHLVVXH
Those who fall on the more libertarian side of things philosophically will see it
DVDQRYHUVWHSSLQJRIJRYHUQPHQWERXQGV'-,LVDSULYDWHHQWLW\EXWWKHĂ&#x20AC;LJKW
restrictions are based on data from the FAA.
The other side of the argument is that the app can keep you from getting into
VRPHVHULRXVWURXEOH,JQRUDQFHLVQRWDGHIHQVHLI\RXÂśUHFDXJKWĂ&#x20AC;\LQJLQDQ
DUHDZKHUH\RXVKRXOGQÂśWEHZKHWKHURYHUDZLOGÂżUHRUDPLOLWDU\EDVH$Q
DHULDOYLGHRRUSKRWRLVQRWZRUWKMDLOWLPH
VIDEO AND IMAGE QUALITY
The imaging capabilities of the Mavic Pro Platinum havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been upgraded. It
XVHVWKHVDPHQRVHPRXQWHGFDPHUDVWDELOL]HGXVLQJDD[LVJLPEDO,WFRYHUV
DÂżHOGRIYLHZDERXWWKHVDPHDVDPPOHQVRQDIXOOIUDPHFDPHUDÂ˛DZLGH
DQJOHEXWQRWDQXOWUDZLGHRQHÂ˛DQGFDQUHFRUG0ESV.YLGHRDVZHOODV
-3*DQG5DZ'1*
VWLOOLPDJHV

9LGHRTXDOLW\LVH[FHOOHQWZLWKFULVSGHWDLOVDQGDQXPEHU
RIORRNVLQFOXGLQJDĂ&#x20AC;DWFRORUSURÂżOHDYDLODEOH7KH
JLPEDOGRHVDÂżQHMRENHHSLQJIRRWDJHVPRRWKDQGVWHDG\
Image quality is on par with a point-and-shoot camera
WKHLPDJHVHQVRULVD03LQFK&026GHVLJQ
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very good, and quite printable, in bright light. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re
FRQFHUQHGDERXWVKRRWLQJDWDKLJK,62WKHLQFKVHQVRU
used by the Phantom 4 Pro and Advanced will do a better
MREDQGJLYH\RXPRUHUHVROXWLRQDW03
In addition to shooting in landscape orientation, the
Mavic Pro Platinum can rotate its lens and shoot in
portrait mode. This is more useful for stills than for video.
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a feature I used that oftenâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;I tend to prefer wide
landscape shots in the wider landscape orientation, and
when shooting straight down, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not required. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
nice to have.
9LGHRRSWLRQVLQFOXGH8+'.DWRUISV'&,WKH
ZLGHUFLQHPD.IRUPDW
DWISVSDWVWDQGDUG
IUDPHUDWHVXSWRISVDQGDWISVIRUVORZPRWLRQ
SOD\EDFNDQGSDWXSWRISV
7KH0DYLFFDPHUDVXSSRUWVIRFXVDGMXVWPHQWVZKLFK
LVQÂśWWKHFDVHZLWKHYHU\GURQHFDPHUDÂ˛PDQ\DUHÂż[HG
focus, so you never have to worry about setting a focus
point. If your footage isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t looking clear, tap on a distant
VXEMHFWRQWKHVFUHHQWRUHDFTXLUHIRFXV
CONCLUSIONS
The DJI Mavic Pro Platinum is the best small drone on
the market. Its folding design makes it a go-anywhere
option thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easily stowed into a gear bag. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a bit
TXLHWHUDQGĂ&#x20AC;LHVORQJHUWKDQWKHRULJLQDO0DYLF3UREXWLW
DOVRFRVWVPRUH'RQÂśWUXOHRXWWKHÂżUVWYHUVLRQHVSHFLDOO\
if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on a budget and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mind a slightly shorter
Ă&#x20AC;LJKWWLPH

Video quality
is excellent,
with crisp
details and
a number
of looks,
including a ďŹ&#x201A;at
color proďŹ le,
available.

Video and image quality are solid, as good as other DJI
models with similar image sensor designsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;this
LQFOXGHVWKH3KDQWRPOLQHDQGWKHÂ¿UVWYHUVLRQRIWKH
Phantom 4. If you need something beyond that, the
3KDQWRP3URDQG$GYDQFHGPRGHOVRIIHUDLQFK
LPDJHVHQVRUFDPHUDOLNH\RXÂ¿QGLQKLJKHQGFRPSDFW
FDPHUDVDQG\RXFDQFRQÂ¿JXUHWKHSURJUDGH,QVSLUH
ZLWKDQ6/5VL]HG$36&FDPHUDWKH=HQPXVH;
If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re after a compact quadcopter for vlogging, video
production, and photography, the Mavic Pro Platinum
LVZKDW\RXZDQWÂ²EXWLWÂ¶VH[SHQVLYH'-,GRHVVHOO
another small model, the Spark, which is now available
IRUOHVVWKDQLWV06537KH6SDUNLV2.IRUFDVXDO
XVHEXWLWVÃ&#x20AC;LJKWWLPHLVYHU\VKRUWDQGYLGHRLVMXVW
S,WSDFNVDORWRIWHFKLQWRDVPDOOIUDPHEXWLWÂ¶V
more of a toy than a real creative tool. So while the
Mavic Pro Platinum is pricey, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best of the bunch
and our Editorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Choice.
JIM FISHER

PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION

I SUBSCRIBE I

MARCH 2018

If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re after
a compact
quadcopter for
vlogging,
video, and
photography,
the Mavic Pro
Platinum is
what you want.

REVIEWS

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80:
A Ton of Zoom at a Great Price

W

e liked the Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ70
thanks to its long zoom lens, low cost, and
strong image quality. But it had some
serious shortcomings in the bells-and-whistles
department. The DC-FZ80 keeps the same lens and
ticks up the price, but for the extra money, you get WiFi, a better EVF, a touch LCD, and 4K video capture.
It’s a better overall camera, though not quite our
favorite bridge superzoom. The Canon PowerShot
SX60 HS is still our Editors’ Choice, but the Panasonic
is a good—and cheaper—alternative.

Panasonic Lumix
DMC-FZ80
$399.99
L L L l m

DESIGN
The FZ80 is a typical bridge point-and-shoot. It marries
a small (1/2.3-inch) image sensor to a big zoom lens,
putting the two together in a body that’s about the size
of a small SLR. Putting that glass in front of a sensor
type developed for pocket-friendly cameras allows for
an incredible zoom range, much more than you’d get
from any SLR lens, in a package that measures 3.7 by
5.1 by 4.7 inches (HWD) and weighs about 1.4 pounds.
7KH¿[HGOHQVFRYHUVVFHQHVIURPDQXOWUDZLGHPP
full-frame equivalent) perspective when zoomed all the
way out. It extends to a beyond-extreme telephoto
(1,200mm) at its maximum extension. This gives the
lens an advantage in telephoto reach over pocket
cameras—models such as the Sony HX90V reach about
720mm—and also covers a wider angle. The FZ80’s
PPOHQVLVVLJQL¿FDQWO\ZLGHUWKDQWKHPRUHW\SLFDO
24mm at which most compact cameras start.
Physical controls are supplemented by the Panasonic
Q.Menu. Every camera maker has its own take on this
interface, which shows translucent shooting controls
over the live view frame, so you can make adjustments
to settings without losing sight of what your lens is
seeing. The FZ80’s menu is customizable and can be
navigated using rear control buttons or via touch.

7KHUHDU/&'LVDÂż[HGSDQHOXQOLNHWKHPRUHXVHIXO
vari-angle display offered by the Canon SX60 HS or
Panasonicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own premium FZ1000. It is quite sharp,
however, at 1,040k dots packed into a 3-inch frame.
And it is sensitive to touch, so you can tap to set a focus
point or navigate menus as you would with a
smartphone.
7KHFDPHUDDOVRKDVDQH\HOHYHOHOHFWURQLFYLHZÂżQGHU
(EVF), something you really need with such a long
zoom lens. Even with in-camera stabilization, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easier
to get a sharp zoomed shot with the camera raised to
your eye than it is holding it at armâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s length. It has no
eye sensor, so you use a button to switch between the
EVF and LCD.

CONNECTIVITY
The FZ80 has Wi-Fi for image transfer and remote
control. It works with the Panasonic Image App, a free
download for Android and iOS that lets you copy photos
from the camera to your phone for editing and sharing,
and it also offers full manual control and a live feed so
you can use your phone as a remote control.

The rear LCD is
sensitive to
touch, so you
can tap to set a
focus point or
navigate menus
as you would
with a
smartphone.

The 3-inch LCD is
sensitive to touch,
but it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tilt.

On the body are micro HDMI and micro USB ports, the latter used for incamera charging. The camera is rated to nab about 330 shots using the rear
LCD or 240 shots using the EVF, both solid marks for a bridge model. The
DELOLW\WRDGGMXLFHYLDD86%SRZHUEDQNLVFHUWDLQO\DEHQHÂ¿WIRUWUDYHOHUVLI
youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the type of photographer to carry a spare battery, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wise to invest in an
external charger as well, so you can charge one in the camera and one out of the
camera concurrently.
PERFORMANCE AND IMAGING
7KH)=WDNHVDOLWWOHWLPHWRWXUQRQIRFXVDQGÂ¿UHÂ²DERXWVHFRQGVÂ²
because its lens has to move in position to grab an image. But once itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ready to
go, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite speedy. The autofocus system locks on in about 0.05-second at
both the wide and telephoto end in bright light. In dim conditions, it takes
DERXWVHFRQGWRIRFXVDQGÂ¿UHDWWKHZLGHHQGDQGWHQGVWRKXQWZKHQ
acquiring focus at 1,200mm. A bridge camera isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the the best choice for
shooting in low light unless you opt for a model with a larger 1-inch sensor and
shorter zoom lens, such as the Panasonic FZ1000 or Sony RX10.
Burst shooting is available at about 10fps at full 18MP resolution in Raw or JPG
format. You can snap 13 Raw+JPG, 15 Raw, or 52 JPG shots at a time, with
about 15 seconds required to clear the buffer after a Raw burst and about 8
seconds to do the same for JPGs. The camera supports Panasonicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 4K Photo
PRGHDVZHOOZKLFKFDQVKRRW03-3*VDWISVZLWK\RXUFKRLFHRIÂ¿[HG
focus through the burst or Panasonicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Post Focus mode, which changes the
active autofocus point between each shot.
7UDFNLQJIRFXVLVDYDLODEOHZKHQ\RXÂ¶UHVKRRWLQJIXOOUHVROXWLRQÂ¿OHV6HWWLQJWKH
camera to AF-C will cause it to acquire focus for each shot in a burst, but it does
slow the capture rate down. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re limited to shooting at 5.4fps when tracking
moving subjects. It works well, though, delivering solid results in our lab tests
DQGLQWKHÂ¿HOGZKHUHZHXVHGWKH)=Â¶VORQJOHQVWRVQDSVKRWVRIEDOGHDJOHV
LQÃ&#x20AC;LJKW
I used Imatest to check the sharpness of the FZ80â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lens. At its widest angle and
DSHUWXUHPPILWPDWFKHVWKHÂ¿HOGRIYLHZRIDPPOHQVRQDIXOO
frame camera. It scored 2,078 lines per picture height on a center-weighted
sharpness test, better than the 1,800 lines we want to see out of a camera of this
type with an 18MP image sensor.

The camera’s top
plate houses a hot
shoe, so you can
connect an external
ﬂash . Right in front
of it is a pop-up ﬂash.

At the 140mm equivalent position, the maximum aperture is f/5.3. Image
quality remains solid at 1,811 lines. Zooming farther, to the 235mm equivalent
focal length, cuts the maximum aperture to f/5.5, but resolution remains strong
at 2,007 lines. Testing beyond that is impractical in our lab—there’s simply not
enough room to back up from the test chart and keep it in frame.
,VKRWQXPHURXVLPDJHVDWIXOO]RRPLQWKH¿HOG7KHOHQVFHUWDLQO\ORVHVVRPH
sharpness at its maximum extension. If you’re hoping to make big prints of a
handheld shot of the moon, you’ll be disappointed. But the results are very
Instagrammable.
Imatest also checks photos for noise. Noise can detract from detail and add a
grainy quality at higher ISO settings. When shooting JPGs, the FZ80 keeps
noise under 1.5 percent through ISO 1600, so you shouldn’t have trouble
capturing low-noise images in sunlight, even when keeping the shutter speed
short to freeze motion.
Although the camera controls noise through ISO 1600, that doesn’t mean image
quality is perfect through that setting. In reality you can shoot through ISO 400
ZLWKRXWDQ\QRWLFHDEOHGURSLQTXDOLW\7KHUH¶VVRPHPLOGVPXGJLQJRI¿QH
detail at ISO 800, which is more prevalent at ISO 1600. Results at ISO 3200
and 6400 are noticeably blurred.
Those who are really serious about images can set the FZ80 to capture photos
in Raw format. Raw images require post-processing before sharing, but they
hold up better than JPGs at higher ISO settings. You see a lot of grain at ISO
1600 when shooting in Raw, but detail holds up well. But you don’t want to
push too far beyond that—grain starts to overwhelm the image at ISO 3200,
and at ISO 6400 it’s even more distracting.

7KH)=VKRRWVYLGHRDW.UHVROXWLRQDWDÂ¿[HGISV
frame rate and 100Mbps compression rate. You can also
shoot at 1080p at 60fps (28Mbps) or 30fps (20Mbps),
and at 720p at 30fps (10Mbps), all in MP4 format. It
also supports AVCHD compression but only at 1080p
quality. The camera has no 24fps option, a downer for
those who prefer video with a cinematic look.
At wide angles, video looks quite good, with crisp detail
and strong colors. But the limitations of optical
stabilization for handheld video show when zoomed in.
Handheld footage at extreme zoom levels, beyond
PPVKRZVLJQLÂ¿FDQWZREEOH<RXÂ¶OOZDQWWRXVHD
tripod to steady the camera when recording at extreme
focal lengths.
CONCLUSIONS
The Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ80 delivers an incredible
amount of zoom coverage for not a lot of money. It uses
WKHVDPHOHQVDVLWVSUHGHFHVVRUEXWLPSURYHVRQÂ¿WDQG
Â¿QLVKZLWKDEHWWHUWRXFKHQDEOHGUHDU/&'DVKDUSHU
(9):L)LDQG.YLGHRDOOPLVVLQJRQWKHEDUJDLQ
oriented FZ70. The FZ80 costs about $100 more, but at
$400, it still falls well into the range of affordability,
especially given how far a reach the lens delivers. You
can spend a bit more on our Editorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Choice, the Canon
PowerShot SX60 HS, which has a similar zoom range
and adds a vari-angle LCD. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re able to spend even
more for a superzoom model, consider one with a 1-inch
sensor, such as the Panasonic FZ1000 or any member of
the Sony RX10 series.
JIM FISHER

PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION

I SUBSCRIBE I

MARCH 2018

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll want
to use a
tripod to
steady the
camera when
recording
video at
extreme
focal lengths.

REVIEWS
HARDWARE

Canon Pixma TS8120
Wireless Inkjet All-in-One

O

ne rung down in Canon’s lineup from the
Pixma TS9120 Wireless All-in-One Inkjet
Printer—our Editors’ Choice consumer
photocentric all-in-one printer—stands the Canon
Pixma TS8120 Wireless Inkjet All-in-One, and it stands
tall. It has all its prizewinning sibling’s printing chops,
thanks to its six ink tanks, and prints excellent text and
very good graphics. The TS9120 is more versatile,
thanks to its inclusion of Ethernet connectivity, and
retains its Editors’ Choice, but if you can make do with
USB and Wi-Fi, you can save a little money with the
TS8120 and get an excellent household printer.

Canon Pixma
TS8120 Wireless
All-in-One
$179.99
L L L l m

BUILT FOR THE HOME
A three-function all-in-one printer, the TS8120 is able
to print, scan, and copy but not fax. It has a handsome
(if basic) design and comes in a choice of three colors:
white, red, or black. The printer measures a compact
5.5 by 14.7 by 12.8 inches (HWD), and weighs 14.4
pounds. The front panel, which can be tilted upward for
easy access, includes a 4.3-inch color touch LCD, a little
smaller than the 5-inch display on the Canon TS9120.
To the left of the output tray is a slot for memory cards
in the SD family.
Paper capacity is 200 sheets, between a 100-sheet main
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to 20 sheets of letter-size photo paper. The TS8120 also
includes a tray for direct printing onto optical discs. It
has an auto-duplexer for two-sided printing. On top is a
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MOBILE PRINTING FEATURES
The TS8120 can connect directly to a computer via USB
or to a network via Wi-Fi, and it supports printing from
or scanning to a mobile device from the Canon Print
app. It also supports Pixma Cloud Link, which enables
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sharing, social networking, and storage sites. Unlike the
Canon Pixma TS9120, it lacks Ethernet connectivity. I
tested it over a USB connection with drivers installed on
a PC running Windows 10 Professional.

SOLID SPEED
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printing the text-only (Word) portion of our business
applications suite, it averaged 13.1 pages per minute
(ppm), and 4.7ppm in printing our full business suite,
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addition to the aforementioned Word document.
These scores effectively match those of the Canon
TS9120, which we timed at 13.2 and 4.7ppm on the
Word document and full suite. The Canon Pixma
TS8020 was a bit slower in printing out both our Word
document (11.4ppm), and the entire suite (4.4ppm). In
printing photos, we clocked the TS8120 at 38 seconds
per print, a little off from the TS9120â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 32-second clip
but still a very respectable speed.
DAZZLING OUTPUT
The six ink tanks that the TS8120 uses include both
dye- and pigment-based black inks (which helped it
excel in both photo and text printing) in addition to the
usual cyan, magenta, and yellow, plus photo blue. The
TS8120â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall output quality, based on our testing, is
well above par for an inkjet, with excellent text and very
good photos and graphics. Text quality is among the
best I have seen for an inkjet and better than many
lasers, and should be good enough for any business use,
even ones requiring small fonts.
In printing the graphics part of our suite, colors were
generally well saturated. The TS8120 did well with thin
colored lines and in differentiating between similar
tones. Some backgrounds showed a faint trace of
banding (a regular pattern of striations), but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
inconspicuous enough that only the pickiest recipients
of your printouts would likely notice. We noted some
dithering in the form of graininess in some illustrations,
but it was relatively mild.

A threefunction allin-one printer,
the Canon
Pixma TS8120
is able to
print, scan,
and copy but
not fax.

The wireless printer
has a handsome (if
basic) design and
comes in a choice of
three colors: white,
red, or black. It
measures a compact
5.5 by 14.7 by 12.8
inches (HWD), and
weighs 14.4 pounds.

Our test photo prints were of the high quality weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also seen with the Canon
TS9120 and TS8020. Colors were vibrant, and there was good retention of
detail in both bright and dark areas. The only issue worth noting was a slight
tint on a monochrome print.
A SUPERB HOME ALL-IN-ONE
The only thing standing between the Canon Pixma TS8120 Wireless All-in-One
Inkjet Printer and an Editorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Choice is the fact that our current top pickâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the
Canon Pixma TS9120â&#x20AC;&#x201D;adds Ethernet connectivity and a slightly larger display
for just $20 more. That said, with improvements in Wi-Fi technology, Ethernet
is not as important as it was a few years ago, and many thin-and-light laptops
have done away with Ethernet ports.
If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need Ethernet, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no reason to pay for it, and you can get a
WHUULÂ¿FKRPHDOOLQRQHSULQWHUZLWKJUHDWRXWSXWTXDOLW\DFURVVWKHERDUGDWD
reasonable price in the TS8120. Keep in mind that the TS8120 is a home
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features such as fax, an automatic document feeder, and a port for a USB thumb
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LQNMHWDOOLQRQHIRUKRPHRUKRPHRIÂ¿FH
TONY HOFFMAN

PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION

I SUBSCRIBE I

MARCH 2018

REVIEWS
HARDWARE

HP EliteOne 1000 All-in-One
Lets You Upgrade Components
Although the HP EliteOne 1000’s gorgeous
27-inch 4K display and thin bezels are visually
impressive, they aren’t necessarily unique. But
this business-oriented machine does have one
EDITORS’
CHOICE
killer feature that is rare among all-in-ones:
easy upgradeability. In fact, it’s so easy to access the
components in the EliteOne 1000—and even to remove
the display—that both IT departments and consumers
might consider buying it instead of a traditional
desktop. It also happens to include many of the internal
components of the same-price Apple iMac 21.5-inch,
which makes it an excellent value and our new Editors’
Choice for midrange AIOs.

ALL ABOUT THAT BASE
Instead of housing the Intel Core i5 processor, 256GB
M.2 SSD, and 8GB of RAM inside the display enclosure,
HP has placed these and the rest of the components
into the EliteOne 1000’s base. That’s the secret to the
computer’s easy upgradability, but it also means the
base is much bigger than the ones on the iMac or the
Dell Optiplex 7450 All-in-One. It’s wedge-shaped,
sloping from back to front, and it measures 1.5 by 15.7
by 7.5 inches (HWD). Along the front of the base are a
physical power button and a few virtual buttons
designed to work with Skype for Business (for example,
ending a call and muting the microphone) as well as a
virtual slider to control the system volume. All of the
buttons are LED-backlit.
Above the button row is a massive speaker grille that
runs the entire width of the base, complete with a Bang
& Olufsen logo. Unfortunately, the size of the speaker
grille and its branding are a bit misleading, since all you
get are two small stereo speakers occupying the left and
ULJKWFRUQHUVRIWKHEDVH7KH\¶UH¿QHIRU
videoconferencing, but they don’t deliver robust bass,
certainly nowhere near as astonishing as the output
from the 10-speaker setup on the much more expensive
Dell Precision 5720. Still, the size and placement of the
speakers make sense when you consider that in return
for so-so audio quality, you get a gorgeously thin display
enclosure.

Not only does the display look sleek, but it also
measures just 14.4 by 32.1 by 2.9 inches, which is very
petite for a 27-inch screen. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thanks to narrow
bezels and a unique webcam module that pops up from
behind the screen and then retracts again when not in
use. There are actually two 2MP webcams on this
module, one forward-facing and one rear-facing, which
could come in handy if you plan to use the EliteOne
1000 at, say, a conference registration table to take ID
photos of attendees. The HD video the cams offer is
perfectly adequate for videoconferencing, although itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
not quite as sharp as the 1080p HD webcam on the
Apple iMac Pro.

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JXDUGDJDLQVWUHĂ&#x20AC;HFWLRQVDQGLWÂśVYHU\EULJKW,WÂśVVR
luminous, in fact, that I set its brightness level to 40
percent even while I was testing it in the harsh
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using Windows; all the screen adjustments are
accomplished using four dedicated physical buttons on
the bottom edge of the display and an OSD interface).
The display also has in-plane switching (IPS)
technology to prevent the colors from washing out as
you move your head.

The screen is
a WLED
panel with a
matte ďŹ nish
to guard
against
reďŹ&#x201A;ections,
and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very
bright.

I was initially worried that the integrated Intel HD Graphics 630 in the EliteOne
1000 would be too anemic to power such a large 4K screen. Indeed, most other
midrange all-in-ones include a discrete GPU, such as the iMacâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AMD Radeon
Pro 560. I was proved wrong over several days of testing, however. As long as
you stick to basic productivity apps, web browsing, and videoconferencing,
youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have a very smooth and enjoyable 4K experience.
When you add everything up, the entire system (base and screen) measures 18
by 24.2 by 7.5 inches and weighs 22.8 pounds. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s slightly slimmer but a bit
heavier than the 27-inch iMac, which is 20.3 by 25.6 by 8 inches and 20.8
pounds. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much lighter than the 37-pound Precision 5720, which is laden
down by its array of speakers and articulating stand. HP also offers a 23.8-inch
YHUVLRQRIWKH(OLWH2QHZLWKWKHVDPHFRQÂżJXUDWLRQEXWZLWKRXWD.
display, for $1,279.
MAJORLY UPGRADEABLE
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display only a few degrees) is another limitation of the upgradable design. But
for many, that upgradeability factor is this all-in-oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best feature. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why.
The most iconic all-in-one, the iMac, is designed to be impossible to upgrade
yourself, save for simple memory swaps. The iMac Pro eliminates access to even
the memory modules, and though the OptiPlex 7450 and Precision 5720 both
have user-accessible components, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not exactly easy to access. Enter the
EliteOne 1000, which has a cover that comes apart with no tools required. Just
press the two release buttons on the rear of the base unit to lift away the rear
portion of the cover, and then press the release buttons on the front cover and
lift it straight up to remove it. Voila: You can now see and access virtually any
system component.

Some of this all-inoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s components
are hidden beneath
the cooling system
and will require tools
to access.

Memory can be added with no further tools required, and so can a 2.5-inch hard
drive or SSD. Our review unit has the 2.5-inch bay at the left of the PC vacant,
relying exclusively on an M.2 SSD located on the motherboard.
Once you’re ready to retire the EliteOne 1000, you can even remove the display
and just dispose of the base. It takes roughly eight steps and no tools to do so.
Some upgrades will need tools, of course, and some may necessitate removing
one or both of the cooling fans to access the components beneath them. But on
the whole, this is a very well-thought-out and accessible case, rivaling many
traditional small-form-factor business desktops.
HP, of course, hopes that the EliteOne 1000’s easy upgradability will drive more
sales from IT departments who have previously been wary of all-in-ones. It’s a
marketing tactic, to be sure, but a useful one. Add in the system’s eye-catching
design and 4K screen, and the machine will be a pleasure to use as well, whether
it’s in a cubicle or on your kitchen counter at home.
I do have a few minor design quibbles. The wireless keyboard and mouse HP
includes with the system are ho-hum. Their plasticky feel and uninspired design
make the peripherals look downright ugly compared with the rest of the system.
The peripherals that Dell and Apple include with their all-in-ones are of higher
quality, and they match the design of the systems they’re paired with better. You
can, of course, buy a better keyboard and mouse on your own.
Most of the ports are at the rear of the base, making them a bit farther away and
harder to access than the ports of the iMac, which are located on the lower left
edge of the display. Fortunately, HP has added a few of the most-used ports in a
more easily accessible location at the base’s right edge. These include a USB 3.1
port, a USB-C port, and a headphone jack. Around back are four more USB 3.1
ports, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, a DisplayPort input, a gigabit Ethernet
port, and the power connector. Wireless connectivity includes 802.11ac Wi-Fi
and Bluetooth 4.1.
The EliteOne 1000 has a generous warranty that offers three years of coverage
for parts and labor as well as on-site repairs.

SOLID PROCESSING POWER
To add a top-notch Ryzen 7 or Core i7 processor and a
discrete GPU to the already excellent and reasonably
priced EliteOne 1000 would be a tall order, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no
surprise that HP doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do this. If the company had
WULHGLWSUREDEO\ZRXOGKDYHKDGWRVDFULÂżFHRQGHVLJQ
and ended up with something like the Acer Aspire Z3,
which has more powerful components but looks tired
and feels cheap.
Still, the Intel Core i5-7500 running at 3.4GHz is no
slouch. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the same CPU inside the 21.5-inch iMac,
which costs almost exactly the same. The processor is a
bit slower in the HP than it is in the Apple on our
Handbrake video-encoding test (a minute and four
seconds vs. 1:14) and our collection of Photoshop imageediting tasks (3:08 vs. 3:19). But you shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t buy this
computer for heavy image or photo editing; leave that to
the much more expensive iMac Pro or Dell Precision
5720. The EliteOne 1000â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s score of 2,937 on the allencompassing PCMark 8 benchmark indicates that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a
solid performer for the more basic tasks that its users
are likely to perform every day, like word processing,
Skype sessions, web browsing, and the like. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth
noting, too, that even when performing more intense
tasks, there was little to no fan noise.

I do have a few
minor design
quibbles. The
wireless
keyboard and
mouse HP
includes with
the system are
ho-hum.

Perhaps the biggest area in which HP skimps in order
to be able to sell this PC for less than $1,500 is graphics
horsepower. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the only system among the peers we
tested to include an integrated GPU, which shares
resources with the main processor. The result is a
machine that canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t reliably be used for gaming, even at
medium quality settings and lower screen resolutions.
We look for frame rates of above 30fps (frames per
second) on the Heaven and Valley benchmarks, and the
only comparable systems to post these numbers were
the iMac and the Optiplex 7450, thanks to their AMD
Radeon GPUs. To compound the problem, an off-theshelf GPU is perhaps the most important component
that you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t add to the EliteOne 1000, since it has no
PCI slots.
6WLOOWKH,QWHO+'*UDSKLFVFKLSLVÂżQHIRUHYHU\GD\
tasks. In testing, I experienced no lag while resizing app
ZLQGRZVRQHRIWKHPRVWGLIÂżFXOWWDVNVIRUDQ
integrated GPU to perform at 4K resolution.
MORE VALUE FOR THE MONEY
The iMac is a beautiful feat of engineering, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the
yardstick by which all other premium all-in-one PCs are
typically measured. But the venerable Apple design
KDVQÂśWFKDQJHGPXFKIRUPRUHWKDQÂżYH\HDUVDQG,ÂśG
argue that the thin-bezel revolution, of which the HP
EliteOne 1000 is a part, looks as good or better as any
all-in-one to be dreamt up in the hallowed halls of
Cupertino. If you or your business can do without a
discrete GPU, the HP is the clear winner. If not, take a
closer look at the iMac or competing Dell AIOs like the
Precision 5720 and Optiplex 7450.
TOM BRANT

PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION

I SUBSCRIBE I

MARCH 2018

I saw no lag
while resizing
app windows,
one of the
most difďŹ cult
tasks for an
integrated GPU
to perform at
4K resolution.

REVIEWS
SOFTWARE

How Online Personal Tax
Prep Services Stack Up

T

he Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed by Congress and signed by President
Trump last December, is expected to simplify and reduce the income
taxes paid by US citizens next year. While no one yet knows what the
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paper copies at your local public library, but thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no need for that anymore.
Several sites and apps make short work of simple returns for free; you can
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,I\RXUÂ¿QDQFLDOVLWXDWLRQLQYROYHVPRUHWKDQVD\D:DQGVRPHLQWHUHVW
income or student loan interest, you can sign up for one of the many sites that
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professionals out of work. Though the best tax sites are capable of producing
very complex returns, some individuals will still want professional guidance to
ensure accuracy and avoid IRS corrections and audits.
THIS YEARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FIELD
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popular options among the largest group of US taxpayers. Most of them donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
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ORVVHVDQGUHQWDOLQFRPHEXWWKH\FDQKDQGOH:VPLVFHOODQHRXVLQFRPH
interest income, ordinary dividends, and itemized deductions.
Every tax software company offers versions that can take on more complex
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pay more for this advanced coverage. Prices for the editions we reviewed range
from totally free for both federal and state returns (Credit Karma Tax) to $69.95
for federal and $36.95 for state (Jackson Hewitt Deluxe).
WHAT TAX SITES DO
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differences between their user experiences, the tax topics they cover, and the
quantity, quality, and accessibility of the guidance they offer.

All of them act as virtual tax preparers. Instead of forcing you to see the actual
IRS forms and schedules, they ask you a lengthy series of (usually) simple
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issues that apply to you.
Tax sites follow the path of the Form 1040 (or 1040EZ) and its related forms
and schedules (1099, Schedule A, Schedule B, and so on), posing relevant
queries along the way. They take your responses, do all necessary calculations,
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Once youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve provided all the tax data that applies to you, these applications do
three things: They check your return for potential mistakes, warning you about
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electronically or print it out and collect any fees due.
HOW TO USE TAX SOFTWARE
These services offer two ways to move through their virtual interviews. During
the early stages, after youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve created a username and password and complied
with any security requirements, they work like any other wizard. For some
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When youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve completed all the required information on a screen, you advance
to the next, though you can back up to the previous screen when you need to.
Most sites donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let you proceed until youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve answered all the questions on a
page; they stop you and highlight the problem. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not sure about a
particular detail, such as an amount or the necessity of a middle initial, some
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toolbars that divide the site into sections, outlines of the
siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tax items, lists of forms, and topics.
PROVIDING THE NUMBERS
Once you complete the personal information section, you
move on and start to answer questions about your income
and expenses. On some screens, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be responding to a
basic question that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t require numerical data, and on
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throughout the year on charitable contributions and
medical expenses.
Each site divides its tax content into (roughly) the logical
groupings originated by the IRS: income, deductions,
credits, health insurance, taxes paid, and miscellaneous
issues. They all have a kind of home page for each section
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to start every section that applies to you, answer the
questions in the miniwizard that appears, and then return
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reads Edit or Revisit, so you can go back and check your
work and make any necessary changes.
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on to the deduction home page, and repeat the process
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Some sites offer an alternative. Instead of moving back
and forth to the section home pages, you can ask to visit
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course, you can click through anything that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t apply,
but at least this shows you all the possibilities.

Instead of
forcing you to
see the actual
IRS forms and
schedules, they
ask you a series
of (usually)
simple
questions.

HELP AT HAND
Even when a query in these site’s onscreen interviews is clearly worded, you
might still not be sure whether you’re supposed to supply information and what
that information might be. Tax websites help you understand those confusing
elements in a variety of ways. They might turn a word or phrase into a hyperlink
that opens a small window containing a more detailed explanation. Or they
might anticipate your questions and post links to related Q&As right on the
pages that would spur you to ask questions.
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consult any other methods of help, it means that the service has failed to
anticipate your needs, your time has been wasted, and your blood pressure has
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penalized in our reviews
Still, no service can anticipate every contingency or question. Most tax
preparation applications offer a second tier of giant help databases of tax
information that you can search if you’re really stuck. Some offer glossaries, too.
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publication, but that should be vanishingly rare in a good service. After all, IRS
documents are free, and unless you’re using Credit Karma Tax, you’re largely
paying for the convenience of not reading IRS documents. The IRS is, of course,
the last word on taxes, but creating lucid, reassuring guides is not one of its
notable strengths.

HUMAN GUIDES
If all that isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough, you might want to interact with
a real human being. These sites offer connections to tax
professionals via chat, email, or phone. If you think
youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re likely to need to rely on this kind of direct contact
with your tax service, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re much better off doing your
taxes early. Otherwise they might be overwhelmed by
ODVWPLQXWHHÂ¿OHUV
When youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re using H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt, or
/LEHUW\7D[DQG\RXÂ¶UHMXVWQRWFRQÂ¿GHQWHQRXJKDERXW
some of your tax issues, you can always hand over your
UHWXUQWRVRPHRQHLQRQHRIWKHLURIÂ¿FHVDQGOHWWKHP
take it from there (for additional fees, of course).
TurboTax provides the most innovative way to get
human help. Its SmartLook feature creates a connection
EHWZHHQ\RXDQGDWD[H[SHUW<RXVHHWKHPWDONLQJWR
you live on your screen. At the same time, they can see
where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re having trouble by viewing your screen and
troubleshooting your problem. These individuals can
help you put the right information in the right place on
the TurboTax site and provide some additional basic
guidance, but they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t serve as tax advisors, like CPAs
or EAs (Enrolled Agents) could.
Those who anticipate needing that kind of personal
VHUYLFHFDQH[SORUHWKHQHZ7XUER7D[/LYHIRU
IHGHUDOHÂ¿OLQJDQGSHUVWDWH
<RXÂ¶OOEHDEOHWR
ask questions of a CPA or EA employed by Intuit as
often as you need to during the preparation process.
This version uses a split screen when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting
help, so your taxes will be on one side of the screen and
WKHIULHQGO\IDFHRI\RXUÂ¿QDQFLDOSURIHVVLRQDORQWKH
RWKHU7KHWZRRI\RXZLOOUHYLHZ\RXUÂ¿QDOUHWXUQ
WRJHWKHUEHIRUHÂ¿OLQJDQG,QWXLWÂ¶V$FFXUDF\
Guarantee applies.

The IRS is, of
course, the last
word on taxes,
but creating
lucid, reassuring
guides is not
one of its
notable
strengths.

TAXES ON THE RUN
Probably the easiest way to prepare your taxes using one of these solutions is to
SORSGRZQLQIURQWRI\RXUGHVNWRSRUODSWRSDQGXVHWKHLUEURZVHUEDVHG
versions. But if you want to take care of this annual task while youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re away
from your PC, any of them can accommodate you. H&R Block, TaxSlayer, and
7XUER7D[KDYHPRELOHDSSVWKDWVXSSRUWDOOPDMRU,56IRUPVDQGVFKHGXOHV
7KHRWKHUÂżYHXVHUHVSRQVLYHZHEGHVLJQVR\RXFDQYLHZDQGXVHWKHLUVLWHV
MXVWÂżQHRQ\RXUPRELOHEURZVHU
,WZLOOEHPRQWKVEHIRUHZHVHHZKDWWKHWD[\HDU,56IRUPVDQG
schedules look like with the new tax cuts implemented. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taking even the
professionals some time to unpack and analyze everything thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the massive
new law, but you probably have an idea already about how you might be
affected, so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d recommend you start planning before the new crop of
personal tax preparation websites appears next fall.
Intuit TurboTax Deluxe 2018 (Tax Year 2017)
$59.99
EDITORSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; CHOICE

CONS: No Life Events feature. Some nonstandard navigation.
is lacking in some areas. Lacks linear navigation wizard.
BOTTOM LINE: H&R Block Deluxe is a highly capable and welldesigned tax prep service that helps users claim relevant
deductions and credits. It can be tricky to navigate, though,
and help can be spotty.

Credit Karma Tax 2018
(Tax Year 2017)
Free
L l l m m
PROS: Free. Supports all major IRS and state forms and schedules. Clean, simple interface.
CONS: Insufﬁcient, spotty help. Missing two state returns and some forms/situations.
Search tool not always accurate. No overall site navigation tool.
BOTTOM LINE: The completely free Credit Karma Tax supports all major IRS forms and
schedules for federal and state returns, but it has an atypical navigation system, anemic
help resources, and it doesn’t yet offer returns for every state.

TaxSlayer Classic 2018 (Tax Year 2017)
$17.00
L l l M m
PROS: Inexpensive. Supports all major IRS forms and schedules. W-2
import from providers. Email and phone help. Good knowledge base.
CONS: Could use more and better context-sensitive help. User
experience needs reﬁnement. Tax return review not effective in testing.
No Life Events feature.
BOTTOM LINE: TaxSlayer Classic is an affordable tax preparation service, but its contextsensitive help is lacking and its user interface could use more polish.

Jackson Hewitt Deluxe 2018
(Tax Year 2017)
$69.95
L l m M m
PROS: Comprehensive coverage of tax topics. Improved review process.
CONS: Pricey. Frustrating UI and navigation. Amount and quality of context-sensitive help is
lacking. Can’t import data from competitors or previous Jackson Hewitt ﬁlings.
BOTTOM LINE: The user experience, navigation tools, and help system you get with Jackson
Hewitt Deluxe aren’t up to par, especially given its high price. There are better ways to ﬁle
your taxes online.

he internet is a dangerous place to depend on
ZKHQLWFRPHVWR\RXUEXVLQHVVÂżQDQFHVRU
livelihood in general. Yet in our hyperconnected world, we all rely on it more than we would
like. We give our data to companies and services. We
pay bills and buy things online. We put our entire
identities on the web, do our best to protect our
LGHQWLWLHVDQGVHFXUHRXUGDWDDQGFURVVRXUÂżQJHUV
that the next massive data breach wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t affect any of
the services weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve trusted with valued personal or
ÂżQDQFLDOLQIRUPDWLRQ
And security isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t getting any easier: Our digital
landscape is rife with phishing; all kinds of malware,
including ransomware; brute-force botnets perpetrating
massive DDoS attacks; and plenty more nasty hacks and
potential attack vectors. Cybercriminals are getting
VPDUWHUDQGDUHDOUHDG\EHJLQQLQJWRXVHDUWLÂżFLDO
intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to more
effectively target businesses and individuals.
As the Equifax breach taught virtually every adult in the
United States, sometimes your data can be
compromised by a service you didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know had
\RXUSHUVRQDOO\LGHQWLÂżDEOHLQIRUPDWLRQ3,,
7KH
recently disclosed Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities
serve as yet another reminder that your computers and
smart devices may be compromised without you even
knowing it. At this point, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no guarantee that any
of your data is 100 percent safe.
What you can do, either as a business or an individual,
LVWRFRYHUSRWHQWLDOORVVHVZLWKF\EHULQVXUDQFH7KHUH
DUHSOHQW\RIEHQHÂżWVDQGGUDZEDFNVWREX\LQJF\EHU
liability coverage (which weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get into below), but if you
already have insurance policies for your house, car,
health, pet, and life, why not cover your online data and
digital identity as well?

Your data can be
compromised by
a service you
didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even
know had your
personally
identiďŹ able
information
(PII).

WHAT IS CYBER INSURANCE?
&\EHULQVXUDQFHKDVEHHQDURXQGIRUPRUHWKDQDGHFDGH0DUNHWUHVHDUFKÂ¿UP
3URJUHVVLYH0DUNHWVSURMHFWVWKHJOREDOF\EHULQVXUDQFHPDUNHWWRKLWPRUH
WKDQELOOLRQE\ZKLOH3Z&HVWLPDWHVLWZLOOUHDFKELOOLRQDVVRRQ
as 2020.
Cyber insurance is a subcategory of general insurance that covers businesses
DQGLQGLYLGXDOVDJDLQVWLQWHUQHWEDVHGOLDELOLW\DQGULVNV7KHUHDUHJHQHUDOO\
WZROHYHOVRIF\EHUOLDELOLW\FRYHUDJHÂ¿UVWSDUW\DQGWKLUGSDUW\)LUVWSDUW\
coverage encompasses direct losses to an organization or individual, whereas
third-party coverage extends to claims and legal action taken by customers or
partners.
Coverage differs by provider, but common coverage areas include data
EUHDFKHVLGHQWLW\WKHIWDQGSHUVRQDOGDWDWKHIW7KHUHDUHDOVRWKHKHIW\OHJDO
IHHVÂ¿QHVDQGFRVWVDVVRFLDWHGZLWKUHFRYHULQJFRPSURPLVHGGDWDUHSDLULQJ
systems, restoring the personal identities of affected customers, and notifying
customers of breaches. Coverage may also extend to scenarios like business
interruption, extortion, or forensic investigation, meaning the costs associated
ZLWKXQFRYHULQJWKHFDXVHDQGLPSDFWRIDQDWWDFN7KHFRUHLGHDEHKLQGF\EHU
insurance is to help you recover from a data breach or identity theft by
mitigating all the costs that crop up in the aftermath.

BUSINESS OR PERSONAL
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to distinguish between cyber insurance
policies aimed at individuals and those covering an
entire company. Most providers cater more toward
business policies, but a number also offer personal
plans, which are primarily focused on identity theft
FRYHUDJH7KLVPHDQVIDFWRUVVXFKDVLQFRPHSURWHFWLRQ
and expense reimbursement associated with recovering
your identity, restoring your credit history, and legal
action against identity thieves. Other personal cyber
insurance plans can extend to issues like computer virus
coverage or physical computer damage.

)RUEXVLQHVVHVF\EHULQVXUDQFHSROLFLHVFDQJHWDORW
PRUHFRPSOLFDWHG3ODQVUDQJHIURPWKRVHFDWHULQJWR
small to midsize businesses (SMBs) to coverage for
large corporations and enterprises. Coverage starts with
the data you collect and store on customers, be it credit
card of bank account numbers, Social Security or
driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s license numbers, or simply addresses and
phone numbers. A basic coverage plan for a smaller
EXVLQHVVPLJKWFRYHUEUHDFKQRWLÂżFDWLRQVFUHGLWDQG
fraud monitoring services, the costs associated with
KLULQJD35ÂżUPDQGWKHFRVWRIUHVWRULQJDQG
recreating data.

Most
providers
cater more
toward
business
policies, but a
number also
offer personal
plans.

Corporate cyber liability plans have heavier duty coverage. Beyond risk
management for data loss mitigation and prevention, incident response, as well
as third-party legal and regulatory costs, this means the policies need to scale.
7KLVLVSDUWLFXODUO\LPSRUWDQWZKHQLWFRPHVWRGDWDEUHDFKQRWLÂ¿FDWLRQVLQWKH
wake of scandals like Uberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2016 breach, which it waited to disclose for a year.
7KLVOHGWKH866HQDWHWRLQWURGXFHWKH'DWD6HFXULW\DQG%UHDFK1RWLÂ¿FDWLRQ
Act, which would require companies to report data breaches within 30 days.
7KHUHTXLUHPHQWVDUHHYHQPRUHVWULQJHQWIRUEXVLQHVVHVRSHUDWLQJLQ(XURSH
ZKHUHWKH*HQHUDO'DWD3URWHFWLRQ5HJXODWLRQ*'35
JRLQJLQWRHIIHFWWKLV
\HDUUHTXLUHVFXVWRPHUQRWLÂ¿FDWLRQZLWKLQKRXUV
HOW TO GET COVERAGE
7KHUHÂ¶VDZKROHODXQGU\OLVWRIF\EHULQVXUDQFHSODQVRIIHUHGE\WUDGLWLRQDO
SURYLGHUVDQGVHFXULW\VSHFLÂ¿FFRPSDQLHV+HUHÂ¶VDEUHDNGRZQRIVRPHRIWKH
most popular plans and providers and what the liability coverage entails:
ABA INSURANCE: )LUVWDQGWKLUGSDUW\FRYHUDJHSURWHFWLQJEXVLQHVVHV

6KDUHDQG3HUIRUPDQFHÂ´UHSRUWLQVXUDQFHJLDQW$,*LVRQHRIWKHWRSWKUHH
cyber insurers on the market. AIG offers a number of different cyber insurance
plans including personal identity coverage and its CyberEdge plan for
EXVLQHVVHVFRYHULQJÂ¿UVWDQGWKLUGSDUW\UHFRYHU\ORVVSUHYHQWLRQH[WRUWLRQ
DQGPRUH7KHUHÂ¶VDOVRD&\EHU(GJH3OXVSODQWKDWFRYHUVERGLO\LQMXU\RU
property damage associated with a cyberattack, as well as business interruption
costs and product liability.
AXIS CAPITAL: Business cyber liability coverage including not only the

HQFRPSDVVHVF\EHUWKUHDWLGHQWLÂ¿FDWLRQSURWHFWLRQFRQWURODQGDQXPEHU
of insurance policies such as breach, cybercrime, and intellectual property
insurance.
INSUREON: Small business insurer Insureon offers a wide array of cyber

UHODWHGVHUYLFHV7KHSODQVLQFOXGHD&\EHU(VVHQWLDOVSDFNDJHIRU60%V
&\EHU)LUVWSODQVIRUWHFKFRPSDQLHVDQGSXEOLFHQWLWLHVDQG&\EHU5LVN
SODQVIRUODUJHUEXVLQHVVHV7KHLQVXUHUDOVRKDVVRFDOOHGÂ³F\EHUFRDFKHVÂ´
plus an online academy and risk hub, and offers pre-breach services such as
assessments and training through a partnership with Symantec.

XL GROUP: XLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cyber and technology insurance

covers privacy and security liability, data breach
response and crisis management, business interruption
expenses, data recovery costs, cyber extortion, and any
ÂżQHVDQGSHQDOWLHVIURPOHJDORUUHJXODWRU\DFWLRQ
BUYING FACTORS TO CONSIDER
7KHUHDUHDKRVWRIIDFWRUVWRFRQVLGHUZKHQEX\LQJD
policy. Whether you go through a broker or buy direct
from an insurance provider, cyber insurance is like any
other coverage: there are plenty of hidden fees and
conditions to be aware of before you lock yourself into a
contract.
A good starting point is a cyber insurance buyersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; guide.
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to know when your coverage will trigger
and when it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t (for instance most plans donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cover
terrorism-related cyberattacks), whether the plan suits
\RXUVSHFLÂżFGDWDULVNDQGFRYHUDJHQHHGVDQGZKDW
claims are excluded.
Insurers also go through a detailed underwriting
process to evaluate the risk and potential exposure of
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to do your due diligence beforehand and get your
security ducks in a row. Does your company have a
CISO? What security software and incident response
systems do you have in place? What types of customer
data are you collecting and how are you encrypting and
protecting it? Cyber insurance premiums can get quite
pricey, and will be even more expensive the more risk
factors you have. Check out this cyber insurance
premium calculator for a rough estimate depending on
your business type and size, or you can request a quote
from a provider directly.

There are
plenty of
hidden fees
and conditions
to be aware of
before you
lock yourself
into a
contract.

IS IT WORTHWHILE?
One key fact to remember is that cyber insurance is not a replacement for
cybersecurityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a tech solution. Cyber insurance coverage is your
personal or professional fail-safe should a breach or cyber attack occur, and
youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re left with mountain of costs to restore your business, deal with customer
ODZVXLWVRUUHFODLP\RXUGLJLWDODQGÂżQDQFLDOLGHQWLW\
You should still have a comprehensive suite of security tools in place, including
antivirus and ransomware protection as well as encryption software. And donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
IRUJHWDERXWSDVVZRUGPDQDJHUVDQGWZRIDFWRUDXWKHQWLFDWLRQ)$
WRSURWHFW
against identity theft.
As for whether buying cyber insurance is worthwhile, it comes down to peace of
mind. Do potentially high premiums for insurance you may not need offset the
risk of having your identity stolen or your companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s infrastructure breached
and data stolen? If you choose the right policy that protects exactly the coverage
areas and attack vectors you need, it may be worth the money as cybersecurity
incidents increase in frequency and severity across the web.
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also worth asking whether insurers can even afford the skyrocketing risk. As
breaches and identity thefts continue and providers are saddled with the
cleanup costs, is cyber insurance yet another bubble waiting to burst?
ROB MARVIN

PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION

I SUBSCRIBE I

MARCH 2018

FEATURES

FITNESS TRACKERS

CHANGED
MY LIFE
BY VICTORIA SONG

M

y morning routine has an extra step now. Before I shower, I take off
anywhere between one and six wearable devices. I hold out my arms
and inspect the imprints they leave on my skinâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;long, angry, watchVKDSHGPDUNV:KHQ\RXUEUHDGDQGEXWWHULVUHYLHZLQJÂ¿WQHVVWUDFNHUVDV,
do for PCMag, I suppose you could say this is an occupational hazard.
It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter that wearables are increasingly becoming showerproof. Unless
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m testing how they hold up against water, I like to think there are at least
Â¿IWHHQPLQXWHVLQDGD\ZKHQP\ERG\LVQRWTXDQWLÂ¿HG
These days, Fitbits and their ilk can track almost anythingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;from what time you
JRWREHGWRKRZTXLFNO\\RXUKHDUWEHDWVZKHQ\RXÂ¶UHUXQQLQJWR\RXUQH[W
appointment. Some, like the Garmin Vivosmart 3, claim their algorithms can
measure how stressed you are. Wear one tracker for a month, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have a
decent chunk of data that says something about who you are.
%XWWKHVDPHTXHVWLRQVDERXWZHDUDEOHVKDYHSHUVLVWHGVLQFHWKHWHFKQRORJ\
Â¿UVWGHEXWHG'RHVWKLVGDWDDFWXDOO\KHOS\RXLQDQ\ZD\",V\RXUÂ¿WQHVV
WUDFNHUDXVHIXOWRRORQ\RXUSDWKWRZHOOQHVVRUMXVWWHFKMXVWLÂ¿HGQDYHOJD]LQJ"
2SLQLRQVDQGVWXG\UHVXOWVUDQJHZLGHO\DQGZHVWLOOKDYHQRGHÂ¿QLWLYH
answers.
%XWLQP\Â¿UVW\HDURIWHVWLQJWKHPZHDUDEOHVKDYHKDGVRPHXQH[SHFWHG
effects on meâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;some vaguely negative, some neutral, and a couple positive
experiences that made me rethink my life. My year in wearables might not
DQVZHUDQ\RIWKHELJTXHVWLRQVEXWLWPLJKWRIIHUVRPHLQVLJKWLQWRWKHIXWXUH
potential these gadgets contain.
THE IDEAL OF THE QUANTIFIED SELF
+RZZHOOGR\RXNQRZ\RXUVHOI"
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not talking about your identity, values, or opinion on whether a hamburger
TXDOLÂ¿HVDVDVDQGZLFK,Â¶PQRWHYHQWDONLQJDERXW\RXUZHLJKWKHLJKWRUH\H
FRORU,PHDQWKLQJVOLNHWKLV,QWKHODVWGD\SHULRGKRZPDQ\KRXUVRI
VOHHSGLG\RXJHWHDFKQLJKWRQDYHUDJH",IWKHQHDUHVWWUDLQVWDWLRQLVWZRPLOHV
on foot, at your average pace, how many steps do you think youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll take to get
WKHUH":KHQ\RXÂ¶UHVLWWLQJDW\RXUGHVNZKDWÂ¶V\RXUUHVWLQJKHDUWUDWH"

,QWKHODVWGD\VP\)LWELW$OWD+5WHOOVPH,VOHSWDQDE\VPDODYHUDJHRI
KRXUVDQGPLQXWHVSHUQLJKW,ZDONDWDQDYHUDJHSDFHRIPLOHVSHUKRXU
ZKLFKPHDQVLWWDNHVPHDERXWPLQXWHVWRZDONPLOHV)RUPHDIRRW
LQFKZRPDQWKDWÂśVVRPHZKHUHEHWZHHQDQGVWHSV:KHQ,VLWDW
my desk (depending on how stressed I am about an upcoming deadline), my
UHVWLQJKHDUWUDWHLVDERXWEHDWVSHUPLQXWH,WGURSVGRZQWRDURXQG
EHDWVSHUPLQXWHZKHQ,VOHHSIRUDQRYHUDOOGDLO\DYHUDJHRIWRESP,ÂśP
OHVVFRQVLVWHQWZLWKP\VWHSVVRPHZHHNV,ÂśOOJRDVKLJKDVLQDZHHN
%XWJHQHUDOO\,WDNHVRPHZKHUHEHWZHHQDQG
6RZKDWÂśVWKHSRLQWRINQRZLQJDOOWKDW"
Supposedly, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meant to make you aware, or, if you like buzzwords, mindful.
The data paints one kind of picture of who you are. The positive potential for
collecting all this data isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hard to imagineâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;medical use cases, weight loss,
changing bad habits like lazing on the couch with a bag of Cheetos. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the
SURPLVH\RXÂśUHEX\LQJLQWRZKHQ\RXLQYHVWLQDÂżWQHVVWUDFNHU(YHU\EX]]DQG
achievement badge you unlock is meant to motivate you to change your
behavior for the better.
6FLHQWLÂżFDOO\WKHMXU\LVRXWDVWRZKHWKHUZHDUDEOHVDFWXDOO\KHOSWRFKDQJH
behavioral habits. For every study that says wearables have no impact on
LPSURYLQJKHDOWK\RXFDQÂżQGRQHWKDWVD\VWKH\GRÂ˛DOEHLWDPRGHUDWHHIIHFW
$UHYLHZRIZHDUDEOHVWXGLHVE\WKH'HSDUWPHQWRI9HWHUDQ$IIDLUV
concluded that they had â&#x20AC;&#x153;small positive effects on physical activity and weight.â&#x20AC;?
$QGD*DUWQHUVXUYH\IRXQGWKDWWKHDEDQGRQPHQWUDWHIRUÂżWQHVVWUDFNHUV
ZDVSHUFHQWDVXVHUVGLGQÂśWÂżQGWKHPSDUWLFXODUO\XVHIXORUJRWERUHG

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many people are excited by the opportunity [to change
health behaviors]. But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s part of the challenge. For
most people, for the average person, and especially
someone who has a chronic condition or is overweight,
giving someone a wearable device is not effective at
LPSURYLQJWKHLUEHKDYLRUÂ´VD\V0LWHVK3DWHO$VVLVWDQW
Professor of Health Care Management at The Wharton
School, University of Pennsylvania.
But when you ask a wearables maker, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to
WHOO\RXGLIIHUHQWO\$IWHUDOOWKH\VSHQGDORWRIWLPH
money, and effort on designing products and apps that
retain and motivate users.
It had a rocky start last year, but to the average
consumer, Fitbit is consistently one of the top wearables
EUDQGV,QWKHFRPSDQ\UHSRUWHGWKDWLWVDFWLYH
XVHUEDVHJUHZWRPRUHWKDQPLOOLRQÂł)URPRXU
perspective,â&#x20AC;? says Melanie Chase, VP of product
marketing at Fitbit, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we want to be a wearable that
SHRSOHZHDUDOOWKHWLPH$QGWKHQRQWRSRIWKDWWKHUH
are real motivating features that keep people moving.â&#x20AC;?

I found reasons
to get upâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;
mostly to trek
to the water
cooler in the
ofďŹ ce pantry,
exactly 220
steps from
my desk.

2IWKHVHIHDWXUHV&KDVHSRLQWVWR)LWELWÂśV5HPLQGHUVWR0RYHPLQXWHV
EHIRUHHDFKKRXU\RXJHWDEX]]RQ\RXUDUPHQFRXUDJLQJ\RXWRWDNHVWHSV
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve become intimately familiar with this feature; at one point, I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even
need to look down at my wrist to know it was ten to the hour. In the beginning
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d comply, especially if I felt like productively procrastinating. Later, it just gets
easy to ignore.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our team here, which has behavior change experts and research scientists,
modeled out a bunch of ways to deliver this feature,â&#x20AC;? says Chase. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we
found was if you buzz people ten minutes before, they had time to make an
LPSDFW7KHQ\RXEX]]WKHPWRUHZDUGWKHPDIWHUZDUGV:HÂśYHVHHQSHUFHQW
of our low-activity users moved more after using our reminders, and then even
beyond that, months later, we were seeing changes in their patterns.â&#x20AC;?
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to argue the numbers when you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have access to Fitbitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vault of
data. But in my own experience, at least in the beginning, it worked. I found
UHDVRQVWRJHWXSIURPP\GHVNÂ˛PRVWO\WRWUHNWRWKHZDWHUFRROHULQWKHRIÂżFH
SDQWU\H[DFWO\VWHSVIURPP\GHVNÂ˛VR,FRXOGKLWP\JRDO
I can also tell you that after a few months, I went into the app and disabled itâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;
because it drove me crazy.
YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE YOUR OWN WORST ENEMY
,WÂśVQRVHFUHWWKDWPDQ\ÂżWQHVVWUDFNHUVHQGXSFROOHFWLQJGXVWDWWKHERWWRPRID
drawer after a few months. Humans are notoriously good at keeping bad habits
and bad at building good ones.
,WGRHVQÂśWKHOSWKDWÂżQGLQJDZHDUDEOHWKDWZRUNVMXVWULJKWIRU\RXLVKDUGWRGR
Whether theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on your wrist, in your ears, or clinging to the underside of your
EUDQRRQHUHDOO\DJUHHVRQZKDWÂśVWKHEHVWZD\WRPDNHWKHPVWLFN(LWKHU
theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re too bulky, too uncomfortable, or you just get tired of the whole routine.
In fact, when you get a bunch of wearables reviewers together, we whisper
about those glorious days when you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to wear one at all; when your
wrists are bare, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to deal with the anxiety of failing to reach your
GDLO\VWHSJRDORUFRXQWWKHGD\VVLQFH\RXÂśYHFUXVKHGLWDWWKHJ\P+LQW,WÂśV
always too many.)

When you get a
bunch of wearables
reviewers together,
we whisper about
those glorious days
when you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have
to wear one at all.

Though the stickiness problem is a many-headed hydra,
EDWWHU\OLIHGHÂżQLWHO\SOD\VDELJUROH,QUHYLHZVLWFDQ
EHWKHGHFLGLQJIDFWRUEHWZHHQDQ(GLWRUVÂś&KRLFHRUD
PLGGOHRIWKHOLQHVWDUUDWLQJ7DNHWKH)LWELW,RQLF
$FFRUGLQJWR&KDVHHYHU\)LWELWSURGXFWLVUDWHGIRU
SOXVGD\VRIEDWWHU\OLIHÂ˛DQGLQWHVWLQJ,IRXQGWKH
Ionic lasted as long as a full week without needing a
FKDUJH&RQYHUVHO\WKH$SSOH:DWFK6HULHVZLWK/7(
zapped out after just a day and a half in regular use.
Charging is relatively simple, but a wearable isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like a
smartphone. The average person can safely leave a
ÂżWQHVVWUDFNHUDWKRPHZLWKRXWFRQVHTXHQFHVRWKHU
than losing a day of data. But when one day turns into
two days turns into two months, the stickiness is gone.
Âł(YHU\WLPH\RXWDNHRIIWKHGHYLFHWKHUHÂśVDFKDQFH
\RXÂśUHQRWJRLQJWRSXWLWEDFNRQÂ´VD\V3DWHOÂł$Q\
device you have to take off when you go in the shower or
you have charge every couple of days, people are less
likely to stick with that, because they have to actively
put it back on.â&#x20AC;?
$QRWKHUSUREOHPOLHVLQKRZWKHVHGHYLFHVSURYLGH
incentives. Leaderboards are a popular feature in many
wearable apps. The idea is that competing against your
peers will inspire you to get up off that couch.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no secret
that many
ďŹ tness
trackers end
up collecting
dust at the
bottom of a
drawer after a
few months.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The leaderboard is a big motivator. Throughout Fitbitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
KLVWRU\SHRSOHZLWKDWOHDVWRQHIULHQGWDNHPRUHVWHSV
per day than people who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have friends,â&#x20AC;? says Chase.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can throw out a challenge [against your friends], and
ZKDWZHVHHLVWKDWSHRSOHWDNHPRUHVWHSVSHUGD\
when they participate in a challenge.â&#x20AC;?
Whether that works, though, depends on your personality.
For a couple weeks, I got into intense competitions with
3&0DJ6HQLRU'HVLJQHU-DPHV-DFREVHQWKDWLQYROYHG
6KDUNVYHUVXV-HWVÂżQJHUVQDSSLQJLQWKHKDOOZD\V
intensely sore feet, and weekly step counts surpassing
%RQHWLUHGDIWHUZRUNDQGRXWRIVKHHUVSLWH,ÂśG
GUDJP\SRRUURRPPDWHDQGGRJWR3URVSHFW3DUNIRUÂł(II
<RX-DPHVÂ´ZDONVWRKHOSPHNHHSXSRUDWOHDVWFORVHWKH
gap. But this kind of competitive fervor isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always
VXVWDLQDEOH-DPHVZRQRQHZHHN,ZRQWKHQH[W$QGWKHQ
we stopped.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The fundamental problem with the leaderboard is that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
motivating the person at the top,â&#x20AC;? says Patel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That person
is already active to start. The people who need most
motivation are the people at the bottom. However, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re
getting demotivated, because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to catch the person
ZKRLVDOUHDG\JRLQJRQDPLOHUXQHYHU\GD\:HIRXQG
itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more effective to show them the person in the middle,
because theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re shown something thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s within reach. The
people who did the worst were the ones who got shown how
top performers did.â&#x20AC;?
This bears out in practice, for me. When Fitbit launched the
,RQLFDWDVSHFLDOHYHQWLQ0RQWDXNWKLVSDVW$XJXVWWKH
GLYLGHEHWZHHQÂżWQHVVDQGWHFKMRXUQDOLVWVZDVOLNHDKLJK
school cafeteria where jocks and nerds sit at different tables.
'HVSLWHVKDOOZHVD\P\ODFNRIQDWXUDOHQWKXVLDVPIRU
physical exertion, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not totally unathletic. Growing up, I
played softball, ran track (albeit slowly), played volleyball,
swam, biked, skated, kickboxed, rock-climbedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the works.

This kind of
competitive
fervor isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
always
sustainable.
James won one
week; I won the
next. And then
we stopped.

But among the athletically endowed in Montauk, I was
out of my league.
This was most evident during the two exercise events
Fitbit had us participate in. In my hubris, I chose
running and swimmingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;two activities I usually enjoy.
The thing is, I enjoy them at my pace and ability. I can
UXQ.DURXQGPLOHVLQDERXWPLQXWHVDQG,
have never claimed to be Speedy Gonzales. But running
LQDSDFNRIEXIIÂ¿WQHVVMRXUQDOLVWVOHGE\XOWUDPDUDWKRQ
UXQQHU'HDQ.DUQD]HVLVOLNHWU\LQJWRNHHSXSZLWKD
modern-day Hermes. Fleet of foot and glistening, they
glided atop the asphalt like lithe cheetahs. In
FRPSDULVRQ,IHOWJURVVO\LQDGHTXDWHZKHH]LQJWKURXJK
a 4-mile course in blistering summer heat.

/LNHZLVHDSRROH[HUFLVHOHGE\DFWXDO$PD]RQ*DEE\
5HHFHOHIWPHPLOGO\WUDXPDWL]HG,GRQÂ¶WKDYHQRRGOH
DUPVEXWGRLQJDJDWRUFUDZOZLWKSRXQGZHLJKWVDW
the bottom of a pool was like coming to terms with my
own death by drowning. I am not ashamed that I
couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t complete the grueling hour of exerciseâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;I was
DFWXDOO\Ã&#x20AC;DEEHUJDVWHGWKDW,PDGHLWWKURXJKDOOEXWRQH
of the circuits.

Doing a gator
crawl with
20-pound
weights at the
bottom of a pool
was like coming
to terms with
my own death
by drowning.

Âł,WÂśVGHÂżQLWHO\QRWDERXWVKDPLQJ\RXÂ´&KDVHLQVLVWVÂł,WÂśVQRWDERXWÂľ2K\RX
didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do a good job this time.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just aboutâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;get out there and try again.â&#x20AC;? But I
ZDVOHIWZRQGHULQJKRZPDQ\SHRSOHRIDYHUDJHRUEHORZDYHUDJHÂżWQHVVZRXOG
feel when forced to face their own physical shortcomingsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and whether it would
put them off trying altogether.
NUMBERS MEAN NOTHING WITHOUT CONTEXT
,QEHWZHHQWHVWLQJORWVRIGLIIHUHQWZHDUDEOHV,XVXDOO\VWLFNWRWKH)LWELW$OWD
+5,WÂśVVPDOOHQRXJKWREHXQREWUXVLYHLWÂśVĂ&#x20AC;H[LEO\IDVKLRQDEOHDQGLWVORQJ
battery life means I can get a decent amount of wear before I forget to charge it.
,ÂśYHEHHQZHDULQJWKH$OWD+5IRUURXJKO\D\HDUDQGEHFDXVHLWÂśVP\MRE,ÂśYH
hooked it up to an If This Then That (IFTTT) recipe to automatically record my
stats into a spreadsheet on my computer. I now have cells upon cells of personal
data recorded by that deviceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;how many steps I took on a given day, how many
miles I walked, how many hours I slept.
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a diary of sortsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a record of my life in numbers. But thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very little
FRQWH[WIRUZKDW,ÂśPVHHLQJ7DNHKHDUWUDWHIRUH[DPSOH$IWHUD\HDU,KDYHD
pretty good sense of what my basic resting heart rate is. But that big picture
only emerges after a long time. In the short term, it means hardly anything.
,QHDUO\'HFHPEHU,ZDVFDXJKWXSLQDJXQVFDUHDWDPRYLHWKHDWHULQ
downtown Manhattan (it turned out to be a false alarm). I was wearing my
Fitbit at the time. For me, this was a harrowing ordealâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;I was trampled by a
panicked crowd, lost my shoes, and ran barefoot into the freezing winter night.
But these events registered only as spikes of sporadically elevated heart rate.
Because, again, I do this for a living, I checked my Fitbit mid-anxiety attack to
VHHZKHWKHULWFRXOGWUDFNWKHVXGGHQFKDQJHLQP\KHDUWUDWH$V,
K\SHUYHQWLODWHGRQWKHVLGHZDON,ZDVLPSUHVVHGWRVHHLWKDGUHDFKHGESP
Later on, at home, even though I could see that my heart rate had rapidly
MXPSHGIURPWREHDWVSHUPLQXWH,IRXQGWKDWLWGLGQÂśWHYHQUHJLVWHUDV
light exercise in the app. I know I had an anxiety attack only because I
remember the date, time, and circumstance. I have no idea how this data was
parsed by Fitbitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s algorithm.

$VVRPHRQHZLWKFOLQLFDOGHSUHVVLRQDQGJHQHUDOL]HG
anxiety disorder, managing anxiety and panic attacks is
DSDUWRIP\OLIH5HJDUGLQJWUDFNLQJP\RYHUDOOKHDOWK
and data, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be useful if I could get insight as to when
these attacks occurred. That would give me a great
incentive to stay on the wearable horse, so to speak. But
unfortunately, insight into when these attacks might
occur is not likely in the near term.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;When it comes to preventative care, doctors are not set
up for that yet. There just isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t an infrastructure thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
EHHQEXLOWRYHUWLPHÂ´VD\V'U6WHYHQ/H%HRXIIRXQGHU
of Valencell, a biometric sensor technology company for
wearables and â&#x20AC;&#x153;hearablesâ&#x20AC;? (trackers worn on or in your
ears). â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have to be built by insurers, and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have
to push it. On the prevention side, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s slow.â&#x20AC;?
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our goal is really to provide users with personalized
guidance and actual insight based on their own data,â&#x20AC;?
adds Chase. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In terms of contextualizing the data we
collect, we want to make it meaningful. We actually
recently published a peer-reviewed paper that showed
ZHZHUHDEOHWRSUHGLFWLQVWDQFHVRIDWULDOÂżEULOODWLRQ
about 98 percent of the time. But people arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t used to
JHWWLQJGDWDIURPWKHLU)LWELWWKDWVD\VÂľ+H\\RXPLJKW
have a heart condition, you should look into this.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

People arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
used to
getting data
from their
Fitbit that
says, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hey,
you might
have a heart
condition.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Medically speaking, a lot of the marketing around heart-rate monitors centers
on heart health. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen one wearables press conference, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen
them allâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and usually, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a story about how someone was able to detect a
heart attack before it actually happened, because they noticed an abnormal
spike in their bpm. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a powerful narrative that speaks to the medical
usefulness of wearables. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also limited to a certain demographic.
Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d think that more data might be the answer. But with metricsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;heart rate,
VOHHSVWHSVÂ˛WKHUHÂśVRQO\VRPXFK\RXFDQXQGHUVWDQG$QGWKHUHÂśVRQO\VR
PXFKWKDWLQIRUPV\RXDERXWKRZ\RXUEHKDYLRUVLPSDFW\RXUKHDOWK$IWHUD
few weeks, once youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve established your baseline, the appeal of seeing how well
\RXGLGHDFKGD\ZHDUVRII'DWDIDWLJXHLVUHDO
â&#x20AC;&#x153;For most people, giving them more data is not helpful. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about framing the
data,â&#x20AC;? says Patel.
Âł'DWDLVVRULFKULJKWQRZLQWKHVHQVHWKDWLWÂśVJRWWHQVRPXFKPRUHDFFXUDWH
to the point where it could be really useful,â&#x20AC;? adds LaBeouf. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But what we see a
lot of people talking about today is well, we got these really accurate sensors.
+RZFDQZHSURYLGHPRUHYDOXHWRWKHFRQVXPHU",WÂśVOHVVDERXWWKHPHWULFV
and more about the new user experience.â&#x20AC;?
THE HUMAN ELEMENT
For all the roadblocks and hurdles facing wearables to becoming more-concrete
healthcare solutions, a greater awareness of your baseline can be incredibly
YDOXDEOH(YHQLI\RXÂśUHQRWDVHOITXDQWLI\LQJQXWWKHEHQHÂżWVRINQRZLQJ\RXU
own body canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be discounted.

$IWHUP\VHPLDFWLYH\RXWK,ZDVQRWWKHW\SHRISHUVRQZKRLPDJLQHGKHUVHOI
as a regular gym-goer or liable to run for anything other than the subway. So, of
FRXUVH,IRXQGP\VHOILQP\ODWHWZHQWLHVZLWKVRPHH[WUDSRXQGDJH$QG
EHFDXVHDQ\RQHZKRKDVHYHUGLHWHGLVLQWLPDWHO\DFTXDLQWHGZLWKFDORULH
FRXQWLQJDQGWKHFRXFKWR.SURJUDP,ZDVUHDG\WRVORXJKRIIVRPHZHLJKW
with the help of my handy-dandy Fitbit.
For a good 12 weeks, I laboriously logged every meal, calorie, and run, and hit
P\GDLO\JRDORIVWHSVDWOHDVWVL[GD\VDZHHN,FXWDOFRKRODQGGHVVHUWV
entirely from my diet, along with any food that was remotely delicious. I was
subsisting on bland chicken, salmon, and steamed vegetables, and missing
bread like it was the one true love of my life. I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expecting to lose twenty
pounds in a month, but I should have seen some progress in exchange for my
VDFULÂ¿FHV,QVWHDG,JDLQHGZHLJKW$QGQRWLQPXVFOH
Surely, I thought, the universe couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hate me that much. So I visited my
doctor and relayed my frustrations. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go so far as to whip out my phone
and wave the data in my doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face, but it did provide evidence that my
weight gain continued despite a strict diet and exercise plan.
%ORRGWHVWVODWHUUHYHDOHGWKDWP\KLJKWHVWRVWHURQHOHYHOVDQGLQIUHTXHQW
periods made it likely I had polycystic ovary syndromeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a condition that often
leads to weight gain in women. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d never thought twice before about whether
something other than poor lifestyle choices could be a factor in my struggle to
lose weight. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not entirely sure I wouldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve found out if I hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bought a
Â¿WQHVVWUDFNHU
([SHUWVVD\WKDWFHUWDLQSV\FKRORJLFDOWULFNVFRXOGGHWHUPLQHZKHWKHUZHDUDEOHV
evolve into an essential piece of tech or stay a mildly convenient peripheral. For
one, you could switch the motivational focus from gaining achievements to
maintaining them, as many people are more incentivized by loss. You could also
VKLIWIRFXVDZD\IURPJDPLÂ¿FDWLRQIHDWXUHVOLNHSRLQWVFRULQJFRPSHWLWLRQ
etc.) to community supportâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which seems to be taking off. Over the past few
years, Fitbit in particular has beefed up its social community with feeds, sub
groups, and video-based training. Other solutions could potentially include
LQVXUHUVDQGHPSOR\HUVJLYLQJÂ¿QDQFLDOLQFHQWLYHVWRHPSOR\HHVWRXVH
ZHDUDEOHV%XWLWPRVWO\ERLOVGRZQWRDYDJXHO\GHÂ¿QHGKXPDQHOHPHQW

The fact is, some people will never need a wearable to
motivate themselves. Others will do much better with a
ZHDUDEOHSOXVDSHUVRQDOWUDLQHU$QGRWKHUVVWLOOZLOO
ÂżQGWKDWWKH\WKULYHZLWKWKHTXDQWLÂżFDWLRQDQG
competition they can get from wearables alone. I will
likely vacillate between weeks of hyper intensity, weeks
when I kinda just do my thing, and weeks when I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
wear one at all.
'RFWRUVPD\VHHDQLQKHUHQWYDOXHLQWUDFNLQJFHUWDLQ
health conditions. Or they may not. In the future, you
PLJKWÂżQGLWKHOSIXOWRWUDFN\RXUEORRGSUHVVXUHZLWKD
wearable. You might also decide youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather jump out
DZLQGRZWKDQFRQVWDQWO\TXDQWLI\\RXUVHOILQWKDWZD\
There are hundreds of thousands of millions of people,
DQGQRRQHVROXWLRQZLOOÂżWHYHU\RQH
In the end, having enough different types of solutions,
VRWKDW\RXFDQÂżJXUHRXWZKDWZRUNVEHVWIRU\RXPD\
EHWKHEHVWDQVZHU$QGZHDUDEOHVZLOOOLNHO\UDQJHDV
widely as humans themselves.

PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION

I SUBSCRIBE I

MARCH 2018

Even if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re
not a selfquantifying
nut, the
beneďŹ ts of
knowing your
own body
canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be
discounted.

TIPS & HOW TOS
2FA

Two-Factor Authentication:
Who Has It and How to Set It Up
BY ERIC GRIFFITH

I

n 2014, the Heartbleed exploit left everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s login information potentially
up for grabs, thanks to one itty-bitty piece of code. In the past few years, our
security nightmares have only gotten worse. What can you do to stay safe?
:HOO\RXVKRXOGGHÂ¿QLWHO\FKDQJH\RXUSDVVZRUGVÂ²RQDUHJXODUEDVLV(YHQVR
whether compromised by sheer brute force or simple phishing, passwords alone
arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough protection.
Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why many internet services have embraced two-factor authentication for
their users. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sometimes called 2FA and can be used interchangeably with the
WHUPVÂ³WZRVWHSÂ´DQGÂ³YHULÂ¿FDWLRQÂ´GHSHQGLQJRQWKHPDUNHWLQJ%XWZKDWLV
it, exactly?

As PCMag’s lead security analyst Neil J. Rubenking puts it: “There are three
generally recognized factors for authentication: something you know (such as a
password), something you have (such as a hardware token or cell phone), and
VRPHWKLQJ\RXDUHVXFKDV\RXU¿QJHUSULQW
µ7ZRIDFWRU¶PHDQVWKHV\VWHPLV
using two of these options.”
%LRPHWULFVFDQQHUVIRU¿QJHUSULQWVDQGUHWLQDVRUIDFHVDUHRQWKHXSVZLQJ
thanks to innovations such as the iPhone X’s Face ID and Windows Hello, but
they’re still far from ubiquitous. In most cases, including 2FA for your Google
account and other popular services, the extra authentication is simply a
QXPHULFFRGH²DIHZGLJLWVVHQWWR\RXUSKRQHWKDWFDQEHXVHGRQO\RQFH
Many services support a specialized app on the phone called an “authenticator”
that will do that same job. The app, preset by you to work with the service, has a
FRQVWDQWO\URWDWLQJVHWRIFRGHV\RXFDQXVHZKHQHYHUQHHGHG²DQGLWGRHVQ¶W
even require a connection. The arguable leader in this area is Google
Authenticator (free on Android and iOS). Twilio
Authy, Duo Mobile, and LastPass Authenticator,
among others, do the same thing on mobile and
some desktop platforms, and the majority of
popular password managers have 2FA by default.
Implementing 2FA on accounts will mean it
takes a little longer to log in each time on a new
device, but it’s worthwhile to avoid theft of
your identity, data, or money.
The following is not an exhaustive
list of services with 2FA ability
but some of the most widely
used are included.

GOOGLE 2-STEP VERIFICATION
With access to your credit card (for shopping on Google Play), important
PHVVDJHVDQGGRFXPHQWVDQGHYHQ\RXUYLGHRVRQ<RX7XEHÂ²HVVHQWLDOO\\RXU
ZKROHOLIHÂ²D*RRJOHDFFRXQWKDVWREHZHOOSURWHFWHG*RRJOH6WHS
9HULÂ¿FDWLRQLVDERXWLGHQWLI\LQJ\RXYLDSKRQH:KHQ\RXHQWHUDSDVVZRUGWR
DFFHVV\RXU*RRJOHDFFRXQWIRUDOPRVWDQ\VHUYLFHDQG6WHS9HULÂ¿FDWLRQLVRQ
multiple options can get you to that second step. First among them now is the
Google Prompt: You simply add your smartphone to your account, make sure
the Google search app is on the phone, and at login, you go to the phone and
DFNQRZOHGJHZLWKDWDSWKDW\RXDUHWKHRQHVLJQLQJLQ(DV\
If that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to enter an extra code, which is sent to your
phone via SMS text, a voice call, or by using an authenticator app. On your
personal account, you can register your computer so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to enter a
code during every sign-in. If you have a G Suite account for business, you can
choose to receive a code every 30 days only.
*RRJOH$XWKHQWLFDWRUÂ²DFWXDOO\DQ\DXWKHQWLFDWRUDSSÂ²FDQJHQHUDWHWKH
YHULÂ¿FDWLRQFRGHIRU\RXHYHQLI\RXUVPDUWSKRQHLVQRWFRQQHFWHGWRWKH
LQWHUQHW<RXPXVWVLJQXSIRU6WHS9HULÂ¿FDWLRQEHIRUH\RXFDQXVHLW7KHDSS
will scan a QR code on the desktop screen to give you access, then generate a
time-based or counter-based code for you to type in. It replaces getting the code
via text or voice calls or email. Authenticator apps also work with other services,
OLNH/DVW3DVV:RUG3UHVV)DFHERRN(YHUQRWH0LFURVRIW,)777'URSER[
Amazon, and Slack.

2QFH\RXÂśYHVHWXS*RRJOH6WHS9HULÂżFDWLRQDFFHVVLWDJDLQE\YLVLWLQJ\RXU
Google account security settings. There you can select the phone numbers that
can receive codes, switch to using an authenticator app, and access your 10
unused codes that can be printed to take with you for emergencies (such as if
your phone dies and you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get to the authenticator app.)
FACEBOOK LOGIN APPROVALS
Access Login Approvals on the desktop by going to Settings > Security. Click
(GLWQH[WWR/RJLQ$SSURYDOVDQG(QDEOHRQWKHWRSULJKW)DFHERRNGHIDXOWVWR
having you authenticate via a Code Generator. You can do so via Facebookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
built-in Code Generator or a third-party app.
7RXVHWKH)DFHERRNDSSORJLQWRDQHZ)DFHERRNVHVVLRQVRPHZKHUHÂ˛VD\D
friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s PC. When prompted for a code, navigate to the Code Generator in the
Facebook app () > Code Generator), which displays a six-digit number you type
into the browser on the new PC; that number changes every 30 seconds.
If you want to keep all your codes in one place, use a third-party codegenerating mobile app (such as Google Authenticator or Authy). Set it up on
)DFHERRNFRPYLD6HWWLQJV!6HFXULW\!/RJLQ$SSURYDOV!(GLW!&RGH
Generator > Set up another way to get security codes. That will produce a popup with a QR code. Open your Authenticator app on your phone, aim it as the
QR code on your PCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s screen, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all set. When you sign in to Facebook
from an unknown browser and it prompts you for a code, open the
Authenticator app and type in the six-digit code in the Facebook section.
If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather get a text message with a code than use a Code Generator, look
for the â&#x20AC;&#x153;need another way to authenticate?â&#x20AC;? prompt when you sign in. If you
have a phone number linked to your Facebook account, clicking that will give
you the option to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Text me a login code.â&#x20AC;?
7KHVHRSWLRQVUHTXLUH\RXWRKDYHDFFHVVWR\RXUSKRQHRIFRXUVH%XWZKHQ
you activate Login Approvals, you can get a list of 10 recovery codes that you
can download and use at any time, even if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have your phone. Get them
RQ)DFHERRNFRP!6HWWLQJV!6HFXULW\!/RJLQ$SSURYDOV!(GLW!5HFRYHU\
Codes > Get Codes and save them somewhere safe.

)DFHERRNKDVHYHQDGGHG6HFXULW\.H\VXVLQJ86%RU
NFC capable devices as a key). Not that many people
have them, but if you have one, consider using it. Just
donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to take it with you.
App Passwords is another Facebook security feature.
Use them to skip the Login Approvals process
altogether by generating a one-time password to access
your Facebook account via any third-party app or
service. If you log out of that app or service and need to
go back in, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to generate a new, unique app
password. This is necessary for older devices and
versions of apps like Xbox 360, Skype, and Spotify,
ZKLFKFDQÂśWXVH/RJLQ$SSURYDOVEXWVWLOOEHQHÂżWIURP
Facebook access.
INSTAGRAM TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION
Instagram, owned by Facebook, started a slow rollout of
two-factor authentication to test users in 2016. To turn
it on, look under Settings for Two-Factor
Authentication. Turn on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Require Security Codeâ&#x20AC;? and
add your phone number. Include the country code,
because Instagram is everywhere. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get a
FRQÂżUPDWLRQFRGHYLD606WH[WPHVVDJH(QWHULWDQG
2FA is on.

7KHDSSWKHQEULQJVXSDOLVWRIÂżYHEDFNXSFRGHV\RX
can use in the future to turn off 2FA. It even offers to
take a screenshot of them to add to your camera roll;
you can always re-access them in the app as well. In the
future, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll just get another 2FA code if you have to
sign in again using a different device.

Instagram,
owned by
Facebook,
started a slow
rollout of
two-factor
authentication
to test users
in 2016.

WHATSAPP
With well over a billion users and worries aplenty these days about people
hacking phones, WhatsApp introduced end-to-end encryption as well as twostep authentication to keep out snoops, be they at home or sitting right there at
WKH16$&,$DQG)%,+L$JHQW0XOGHU
6HWXSLVHDV\*RLQWR6HWWLQJV!$FFRXQW!7ZRVWHSYHULÂżFDWLRQ&OLFN(QDEOH
and things get a little different here: WhatsApp asks you for a six-digit PIN to
use to register your phone number with WhatsApp. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll also provide an email
LQFDVH\RXHYHUQHHGWRGRDUHVHWÂ˛DNDWXUQRIIWKHYHULÂżFDWLRQ,I\RXODWHU
sign out or log in with a different device, WhatsApp will text you a code, then
you have to re-enter the PIN as well.
TWITTER LOGIN VERIFICATION
7RDFWLYDWH/RJLQ9HULÂżFDWLRQRQ7ZLWWHUFRPRQWKHGHVNWRSFOLFN\RXUSURÂżOH
photo on the top right > Settings and privacy. Under Security, check the box
QH[WWR/RJLQYHULÂżFDWLRQ,QWKHPRELOHDSSJRWRWKH0HPHQX\RXUSURÂżOH
pic at the upper left), Settings and Privacy > Account > Security > Login
YHULÂżFDWLRQ7RJJOHLWRQRURII
In the initial setup process, Twitter sends a code via text to your mobile phone.
If you go the SMS route, you only get to use one phone for one account and
obviously have to associate the number with your Twitter account. (You need
WKHQXPEHUDVVRFLDWHGHLWKHUZD\Â˛LWÂśVXVHGWRUHFRYHUDQDFFRXQW\RXFDQÂśW
access.)
The best option is to select â&#x20AC;&#x153;Setup a code generator appâ&#x20AC;? and scan the QR code
WKDWFRPHVXS,I\RXDOUHDG\KDYHEDVLFSKRQHEDVHGORJLQYHULÂżFDWLRQWXUQHG
on, you can set up the Authenticator app on the desktop by going to Security
DQGFOLFNLQJÂł5HYLHZ\RXUORJLQYHULÂżFDWLRQPHWKRGVÂ´WKHQJRLQJWR5HYHULI\WR
set up a mobile security app by scanning a QR code.) The app could be an
authenticator like Authy, but you can use the Twitter mobile apps themselves to
generate the authentication codes for you.
Twitter can also generate login codes for the times you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get a 2FA code
from a text or authenticator app. Go to Settings > Account > Security > Login
code generator. Like with any code generator, it updates every 30 seconds.

%RWKRIWKRVHPHQXVDOVRRIIHUWKHRSWLRQIRUD%DFNXS
FRGHÂ˛WDNHDVFUHHQVKRWDQGVDYHLWLQDVDIHSODFH
App passwords also allow for one-time use of Twitter in
third-party apps. Get one on Twitter.com via the
Password tab in Settings; just click Generate. On
mobile, go to Settings > Account > Security >
Temporary password. The temp is usually a
12-character combo of letters and numbers; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good for
about an hour.
A good rule of thumb: Occasionally view the full list of
applications that have access to your Twitter or that use
your Twitter credentials and nix any you no longer use
or recognize.
APPLE TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION
Your Apple ID is a big part of your life if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re an iOS
or Mac user. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important for not just access, but also
IRUVWRUDJHYLDL&ORXGSXUFKDVHVDWL7XQHVL%RRNVDQG
the App Store, and membership at Apple Music.
To activate two-factor Authentication, go to the My
Apple ID page and sign in. Look for Security > TwoFactor Authentication and click â&#x20AC;&#x153;Get Started...â&#x20AC;?
You are then furnished with
steps on how to set up 2FA for
Apple using either an iOS
device or via macOS. You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
do it via a browser on another
operating system anymore. On
iOS you go to Settings > iCloud,
sign in, tap the arrow next to your Apple ID > Password
& Security > Turn on Two-Factor Authentication. On
macOS go to > System Preferences > iCloud, sign in,
click Account Details > Security > Turn on Two-Factor
Authentication.

Twitter can also
generate login
codes for the
times you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
get a 2FA code
from a text or
authenticator
app.

<RXÂśOOKDYHWRDQVZHUWZRRI\RXUWKUHHSUHVHWVHFXULW\TXHVWLRQVDQGUHFRQÂżUP
your credit card on the account to get into the setup. Then you have to enter a
valid phone number to get a text or phone call (even if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the number already
on the phone youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re using for setup). If it is the same phone, the six-digit code
will be entered automatically when it arrives, or just type it in.
To get a code when needed, go back to iCloud settings, tap your username at top
(youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll likely need to enter your full Apple ID password again) > Password &
6HFXULW\!*HW9HULÂżFDWLRQ&RGH7KLVPHDQVVRPHWLPHV\RXHQWHUDFLUFXODU
logic world where you need to get a code on the very device where the code has
to be entered.
$SSOHDOVRVXSSRUWVDSSVSHFLÂżFSDVVZRUGV
You can turn off Apple 2FA in iCloud settings, but then you have to go back to
security questions (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Who was the best man at your wedding?â&#x20AC;? and the like) to
verify your ID, and no one wants that.
MICROSOFT TWO-STEP VERIFICATION
Microsoft has done a much better job in the last few years of tying together all
its services under one umbrella account. I use mine for Outlook.com, OneDrive,
;ER[/LYH6N\SHDQ2IÂżFHVXEVFULSWLRQDQGPRUH1DWXUDOO\LWVKRXOGJHW
some extra protection.

Microsoft recommends the
use of an authenticator app
because it makes its own for
Windows Phone, iOS, and
Android, which it will push
on you to install.

<RXVLJQLQWR\RXU0LFURVRIWDFFRXQWDWDFFRXQWPLFURVRIWFRPSURÂ¿OH,QWKH
top navigation, click Security; on the next page, click the more security options
OLQN6FUROOGRZQWR7ZRVWHS9HULÂ¿FDWLRQWRWXUQLWRQ
0LFURVRIWZLOOÂ¿UVWVXJJHVW\RXJHWDQDSSSDVVZRUGWRVHWXS2XWORRNFRPWR
sync with email on mobile devices, as well as other services that may need app
passwords, which you can go in later to generate for any given app.
<RXFDQWKHQHQWHUWKHÂ³6HWXSDQLGHQWLW\YHULÂ¿FDWLRQDSSÂ´VHFWLRQ0LFURVRIW
recommends the use of an authenticator app because it makes its own for
Windows Phone, iOS, and Android, which it will push on you to install. It also
works with other standard authenticator apps, like Google Authenticator and
$XWK\Â²EXWWRXVHWKHP\RXPXVWSLFNÂ³RWKHUÂ´GXULQJWKHVHWXS6FDQWKH45
code displayed.
You can skip the authenticator. If you do, Microsoft logins will still try to get you
to use an app, but provide a link to other methods for getting a 7-digit
YHULÂ¿FDWLRQFRGHWH[WRUHPDLO(YHQLI\RXFKRRVHWH[WLWKDVWRJRWRDSKRQH
youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve pre-registered, and even then, Microsoft will make you re-enter the last
IRXUGLJLWVRIWKHSKRQHQXPEHUDVDQH[WUDELWRIFRQÂ¿UPDWLRQ
As you continue the setup, Microsoft provides a recovery code for you to write
GRZQDQGNHHSVDIHDGLJLWZKRSSHUOLNHWKHNLQGLWXVHVRQHYHU\WKLQJ
from software registrations to Xbox giveaways). Microsoft also supports
Trusted Devices, which is hardware that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t require you to enter any
FRGHVÂ²\RXÂ¶OOVHHDFKHFNER[WRPDUNDGHYLFHOLNHD:LQGRZV3&
DVWUXVWHG
when you log into it. Go back to security settings to revoke trusted devices all at
once if you lose one. Microsoft automatically removes any trusted device you
havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t logged into in two months; just trust it again on the next login.

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TIPS & HOW TOS
APPLE PAY CASH

How to Use Apple Pay Cash
BY LANCE WHITNEY

W

ant to be able to send someone money using your smartphone?
Those of you who use Apple Pay on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple
Watch should check out Apple Pay Cash. Apple Pay lets you use
your phone to pay for things at physical stores including Sephora and Panera
Bread, as well as within certain apps. And Apple Pay Cash lets you send money
to someone else as easily as you might send them a text message.
Apple Pay Cash, which rolled out with iOS 11.2 and watchOS 4.2, can be linked
to a credit or debit card; a debit card is the better option, since a credit card
transaction socks you with a 3 percent fee. You can add more than one card to
Apple Pay, so you can set up a credit card for regular transactions and a debit
card for Apple Pay Cash.

On the other end, your recipient must also use an iOS
device (sorry, Android users). They’ll receive an Apple
Pay Cash virtual cash card, which can be used to
purchase items via Apple Pay or transferred to a
bank account.
To send and receive money using Apple Pay Cash,
you must be at least 18 years old and live in the US.
Your iPhone or iPad has to be compatible with
Apple Pay, and you need to enable two-factor
authentication (2FA) for your Apple account.
1. OPEN AN iMESSAGE
You can send money through Apple Pay Cash
using iMessage or by talking to Siri. To send via
Messages, open the app and start a new
conversation or open an existing one to the
person who will receive the cash. You can send
someone money without typing an actual text.
But you may want to remind the person why
you’re sending money; if so, type a message in
WKHWH[W¿HOG7KHQWDSRQWKHDSSLFRQRQWKH
left and tap the Apple Pay icon.
2. CHOOSE AMOUNT
Tap on the plus or minus key until you see the
DPRXQW\RXZLVKWRVHQG7RHQWHUDVSHFL¿F
amount instead, tap on the Show Keypad button and
then type the amount. At the keypad, you can tap on the
Pay button to initiate the payment. Or you can tap on
the down arrow to close the keypad screen and return to
your message and then tap on Pay.
3. AGREE TO TERMS AND CONDITIONS
At the next screen, tap on Continue. Tap on Agree to
agree to the terms and conditions. The next screen tells
you that it’s setting up Apple Pay Cash.

4. CONFIRM PAYMENT
Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re prompted to add a debit card if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have
one set up to avoid incurring the bank fees charged with
a credit card. Add your debit card if necessary. Then
return to your text message. Tap Pay. Tap on the Send
button in the message to send the payment. Use Face
,'7RXFK,'RUDSDVVFRGHWRFRQÂ¿UPWKHSD\PHQW
5. TROUBLESHOOTING
What if the Apple Pay Cash payment wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go
through? In my case, the feature didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t initially
ZRUNRQP\L3KRQH;+HUHÂ¶VZKDW,GLGWRÂ¿[LW
with help from Apple tech support. First, I turned
off Apple Pay Cash and then turned it on to set it up
again. To do this, go to Settings > Wallet & Apple
Pay. Turn off the option for Apple Pay Cash. Turn it
back on. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re asked to type your Apple ID
password. Apple Pay Cash then takes you through the
setup process once more.
6. VERIFY YOUR IDENTITY
Still not working? Then you may need to verify your
identity. To do this, go back to Settings > Wallet &
Apple Pay. Under Cards, tap on the entry for Apple Pay
&DVK7DSRQWKHOLQNWR9HULI\,GHQWLW\$WWKHÂ¿UVW
VFUHHQW\SH\RXUÂ¿UVWDQGODVWQDPH$WWKHQH[WVFUHHQ
type your address. Next, type the last four digits of your
Social Security number and enter your date of birth.
$IWHU\RXÂ¶YHÂ¿QLVKHGWKHYHULÂ¿FDWLRQSURFHVVWU\$SSOH
Pay Cash again.
7. START SENDING MONEY VIA iMESSAGE
After the initial setup, the process for sending someone
money is much quicker. Open iMessage and start or
resume a conversation with your recipient. Then follow
the steps to choose the amount and send the money.

8. GET SIRI INVOLVED
To use Siri to send someone money via Apple Pay Cash,
say something along the lines of: “Hey Siri, Apple Pay
25 dollars to Stephen for dinner” or “Hey Siri, send 25
dollars to Stephen.” By default, your Apple Pay Cash
payment takes the necessary funds from your debit
FDUG%XW\RXFDQDOVR¿OO\RXU$SSOH3D\&DVKFRIIHUV
with more cash through your linked debit card. Tap on
Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay. Under Cards, tap on
Apple Pay Cash. At the Apple Pay Cash screen, tap on
the link to Add Money. At the next screen, enter the
amount you wish to deposit. The minimum is $10. Tap
Add. Authenticate the transfer with Face ID, Touch ID,
or your passcode. You’ll then see the amount listed as
your Apple Pay Cash balance.
9. APPLE WATCH
To send money via Apple Pay Cash on an Apple Watch,
set up a debit card for Apple Pay for your watch. When
you set up a debit card for Apple Pay on your iPhone,
you should be asked if you want to use the same card on
your paired watch. Open iMessage and start a new
conversation or resume an existing one. Swipe down
and tap on the icon for Apple Pay. You can choose an
amount by tapping on the plus or minus button, turning
the Digital Crown, or tapping on the dollar amount and
WKHQWXUQLQJWKH'LJLWDO&URZQWRVHOHFWDVSHFL¿F
number. Tap on the Pay button. Double-click the side
button to pay. Your payment then goes through.
10. RECEIVE A PAYMENT
You can also request money from someone else. Open a
conversation in iMessage. Tap on the App button and
Apple Pay Cash if it’s not already selected. Choose an
amount and tap on the Request button. Add a comment
to the message and tap on the button to send it. On the
other end, your recipient receives the request as a text
and just taps on the Pay button to pay it.

11. MANUALLY ACCEPT PAYMENTS
By default, payments via Apple Pay Cash are automatically accepted. But you
can change this to Manual mode, which means you must actively accept the
payment within seven days. Return to the Apple Pay Cash card screen under
Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay. Under the section for Accepting Payments,
change the option to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Manually Accept Payments.â&#x20AC;? At this same screen, you can
also tap on the Transactions tab to see all your Apple Pay Cash transactions. At
the bottom of the Transactions screen, tap on the link to Request Statement to
receive an email of your transactions.
12. ADD YOUR BANK ACCOUNT
What can you do with money you receive via Apple Pay Cash? You can tap into
that balance to pay for something using Apple Pay or you can transfer funds to
your bank account. To cash out, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to add your bank account and
routing number. Return to the Apple Pay Cash card screen under Settings >
Wallet & Apple Pay. Under the section for Balance, tap on the link to Transfer to
Bank. Tap on the button to Add Bank Account. Enter your bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s routing
number and your account number. Enter the amount of money you want to
WUDQVIHUDQGWKHQWDSRQ7UDQVIHU&RQÂżUPWKHWUDQVDFWLRQYLD)DFH,'7RXFK
ID, or your PIN. The money typically takes one to three business days to end up
in your account.

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TIPS & HOW TOS
DIY PC COMPONENTS

How to Build a PC in 2018:
Choosing the Right
Components
BY JOEL HRUSKA

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